Kitsune's Child
by gamebrain89
Summary: When the Sixth Hokage's daughter is accidentally thrown back in time, will she come to grips with what has happened and help her future parents prevent the destruction of Konoha? AU after Pain's invasion. Rated M to be safe. I own nothing.
1. Loss

As Konoha slowly came into view, the 5 people moving quietly through the trees stopped and examined the remains of their home from a distance, a feeling of sadness overwhelming them. It had been six years since they had seen their home. Six years since the Akatsuki's near simultaneous attack on the Hidden Villages had trapped them in Kirigakure. Visiting the village in the Land of Water on a diplomatic mission for the Sixth Hokage, they had viewed it as a nice vacation, a chance to relax. None of them had thought they would never see their friends and family again. After the fighting around Kiri had died down enough for messenger hawks to get through, word from the Kazekage confirmed their worst nightmare.

Konohagakure had fallen.

As reports slowly trickled in, they gradually put together what had happened. Only Suna had come through relatively unscathed, partly due to overconfidence on the part of the attackers. Their forces had over extended themselves, allowing the Kazekage to take down the inexperienced enemy commander. The Kazekage's victory had effectively broken Suna's attackers, forcing them to retreat. With a little breathing room, Suna had enough time to prepare their defenses. Unfortunately, the other villages had not fared so well. Konoha and Iwa had been wiped out. Kumo and Kiri had both survived, but neither was strong enough to push the enemy back, forcing them to fight a war of attrition.

Their first thought had been to head for The Land of Wind to meet with their allies. Suna would naturally be the first place any survivors from Konoha would head, so that seemed the best course of action at the time. But with Kisame Hoshigaki prowling the oceans around Kirigakure, and a large portion of the Akatsuki's forces on the island, it had been too dangerous to attempt. Not that that mattered anymore.

They had planned for the day the village would fall, no matter how confident the Mizukage was that they would eventually prevail. So when the time had come, their escape plans had long been in place. That escape, however, had come at a cost. They had made it out of the village proper without incident, managing to evade most of the Akatsuki's forces. Crossing to the mainland, however, was another story. Someone had to distract Kisame long enough for the others to get away. But no matter how necessary, leaving someone behind was never easy. By the time they had finally accepted that necessity, it had almost been too late.

As they slowly made their way into the city, the small group looked around, taking a closer look at what remained of their home. Most of the city was in ruins. Burnt out husks of once immaculate buildings stood silent, the roads cracked and cratered. Plant life had slowly begun to reclaim the city, overgrowing everything, taking root in every crevice that soil had blown into. Signs of battle still lay everywhere. A skeleton collapsed in the window of an apartment building. A scorched forehead protector half buried in the rubble. A line of rusted kunai embedded in the side of a small building, the remains of tattered flags flapping lightly in the breeze on the front edge of its roof. The woman at the head of the group froze as her white eyes came to rest on the broken down structure. Heavily faded, she could just barely make out "-raku" on the one flag with characters still visible.

Before she could break down at seeing the remains of the restaurant that held so many happy memories, a rather large hand gently came down on her shoulder.

"Hinata, we need to keep moving. We are almost there."

Turning, she looked up into the rounded face of Choji Akamichi. He looked tired, she reflected. His eyes were sunken, and the swirl marks on his cheeks seemed to sag. His forehead protector was chipped and scuffed, a result of the many fights they had been in without a chance to rest. Like the rest of them, his clothes were heavily stained. Dried blood flaked off of both of his forearm guards, the kanji on his chest plate faded and scratched until it was almost illegible.

Nodding and giving Choji a small, hesitant smile of thanks, she turned and surveyed the rest of the small group. Kiba Inuzaka and Akamaru were nearby, both sniffing the air. Akamaru gave a few quiet yips to his partner as they did so, relaying something. The man's red facial marks, distinctive of his clan, were streaked with soot, his black jacket in tatters. Akamaru was, if anything, in worse condition, his fur singed and stained.

Just behind them, Rock Lee quietly practiced a few taijutsu combination, his fists and feet a blur. The man's hair, surprisingly, was still in perfect shape. The rest of him was another story. The flak jacket he wore looked like it would fall apart if someone looked at it too hard, and his green jump suit was covered in tears, most of one sleeve missing. Seeing her watching, he stopped and gave her a big grin and a thumbs-up. His eyes, however, told a different story from the bravado on display. They no longer had the sparkle, the joy in life they once held. While she had never been as good at reading people as her cousin Neji, she could tell that he was putting up a brave front. Losing Gai during their escape from Kiri had hurt the taijutsu specialist badly.

Squelching that line of thought before it could go any further, she turned and focused on the last member of the little group. Wearing a green flak jacket two sizes too big over a simple grey shirt and pants, she looked much smaller than she was. The young girl was shifting back and forth from foot to foot as she stole furtive glances at the Akimichi standing next to her, her shoulder length blond hair obscuring her face from Hinata's gaze. Pressing the tips of her fingers together in front of her, she turned toward Choji, looking up at the man who towered above her.

"Choji, do you have anything to eat?" She asked in a quiet voice, looking directly at something on him that Hinata couldn't make out. The large man blinked at the youth. "Well, Ayame, looks like you busted me...,"and with a smile produced an open bag of chips and allowed her to take a handful. "Thank you!" She cried as she gave him a hug. Turning away quickly, she began eating her spoils.

Hinata sighed. Ayame was really working on being more observant. How Choji managed to move so quietly with that bag stashed on his person was amazing, but Ayame had spotted it unaided. It was such a shame that they had not had a chance to teach the young girl more. She hadn't even made genin rank before they had been forced to flee. Living in a village under siege made it hard to train anyone, but she couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. As soon as they made it to Suna safely, she would have to do something about that.

Signaling to the group, Hinata soon had them moving forward again, the four ninja surrounding the girl as they made their way toward the remnants of the Hokage's tower. They had covered their tracks as well as Kiba and his familiar could manage, which meant they should be safe. The Akatsuki was supposedly still keeping Kumogakure under siege, so prying eyes should be focused elsewhere. Unfortunately, they had not heard from their contact in Kumo for several weeks, so they moved slowly, cautious.

As they walked, Ayame eyes scanned the area, taking in the destruction. Tugging gently on Hinata's sleeve to get her attention, she asked the Hyuuga a question. "Why are we here? I thought we were going to Suna?"

"We are, but it is too dangerous to take the roads with the Akatsuki watching them so closely."

Ayame looked up at the older woman, a confused expression on her face. Hinata, the picture of patience, explained for the girl.

"There's another way to Suna, which only the Hokage knew about. He told me how to access it, before...," A sudden flood of anger swept through Hinata as she remembered that day so long ago, when her world had seemed to implode in on itself in a flash of blood and destruction.

The girl flinched, and Hinata realized she had activated her Byakugan in reaction to the hate and despair those memories had dredged up. Releasing her technique, she apologized. _I should have better control than that_, she chided herself. Ayame, looking at her warily through pale, lavender tinged eyes, nodded and seemed to accept it. Taking a deep breath, Hinata looked at her, gave a small smile, and spoke again.

"There's a special room in the tower that will take us straight to Suna. It's based on a technique the Fourth was famous for creating."

The young girl's eyes grew wide at the mention of one of the Hokages. The legendary leader's exploits were some of her favorite stories. Being able to see something even connected to Minato Namikaze was incredibly exciting.

"We are almost there, Ayame. There is the tower."

Stopping in front of the ruined building, Hinata turned toward the Inuzaka and his nin-dog. "Kiba, do you smell anything?"

Shaking his head, he walked up to her slowly. "I'm not sure. There is a scent, but I can't place it. There's something really familiar about it, though. They've been all over this area, almost as if they are looking for something."

Lee, his eyes hopeful, spoke up. "Familiar! It might be one of our friends! We must look for them!"

Choji grabbed Lee before he could take off. "We need to stay together. Getting the rest of us to safety...," with this he stole a glance toward Ayame, causing the girl to scowl, "is the most important thing right now. Once that is done, we can come back."

Just as Lee was about to retort something, Akamaru suddenly froze, the dog's hackles rising as he started barking something to Kiba. Eyes widening, he began scanning the surrounding area while whispering to his friends.

"Guys, Akamaru just remembered the scent. We need to get out of here NOW."

"It's much too late for that, Kiba." A voice from the top of a nearby building spoke. With a blur, the figure was standing behind them in the street, cutting off their escape out of the city. All five of the small group gasped as they turned and caught sight of the speaker.

Sasuke Uchiha did not look well. Dressed in a black cloak with a red cloud design on it, his gaunt face was the only part of him visible. The blade of a sword glinted in the sunlight, jutting out of one of the man's sleeves. His black hair was limp, tufts poking out at odd angles as if it had been hacked shorter with a dull knife. With an insane smile on his face, his Sharingan activated, he quietly spoke.

"I finally found you. The last five surviving members of Konoha. Finally, every remnant of Konoha will be completely wiped from the face of the planet!"

Kiba and Akamaru looked nearly rabid. A look of pure, unadulterated malice was etched onto the Inuzaka's face, his bared teeth emphasizing the bestial qualities common to his clan. His canine friend mirrored his expression, a growl rumbling deep in his throat as flecks of foam began to form about his muzzle.

_Gai-sensei. Sakura. Neji. Tenten._ Faces paraded themselves through Lee's thoughts, reminders of those lost, those who would never be seen again. Shaking with rage, tears streaked his face as he glared at the cause of all his pain. His mind clouded by the desire for revenge, Lee nearly forgot everything around him as he primed himself to attack. Before he could act on the desire, a familiar voice began speaking in his mind. _Lee, you allow an unyouthful fire to consume you! Think of what may yet be lost, not what has already been taken. Stoke the Flames of Youth, not Hate!_ His mind immediately cleared at the thought of what his teacher would say if he saw him like this. Lee took a deep breath and unclenched his fists, determination replacing the anger in his eyes. _Yes Sensei, I will not fail you. I will fight to protect those precious to me. Not for vengeance._

_Shikamaru would be swearing at me for letting him corner us like this._ The thought sprung into Choji's mind as he examined all of their options. They couldn't escape the way they came. Even if they could, Sasuke would follow them easily, his eyes picking out even the smallest trace of their trail. None of them would even think of splitting up and running, that was too big a risk. The armored ninja's eyes hardened, settling on the only course of action open to them. As much as he loathed the thought of leaving the young girl and her mother, the thought of what the missing-nin would do to the pair dredged up hatred a thousand times more intense.

A tense look passed between the men, and with a nod, Lee, Choji, Kiba, and Akamaru all stepped forward. Lee slapped the releases on his weights, the training devices hitting the ground with a crash, while Choji produced a small box containing 3 differently colored pills. Kiba, barely able to suppress his feelings enough to remember what pocket they were in, popped a soldier pill into his mouth, tossing one to Akamaru in the same motion.

It was Lee who spoke first, his words filled with a confidence he hadn't felt in months.

"Hinata, take Ayame and get to the objective. The four of us will show this traitor the real Power of Youth!"

"I can't just leave-" she began, taking a few steps toward Lee before she was cut off by Choji, the look on his face telling her he would allow no arguments.

"We don't have any choice. You're the only one left who can teach Ayame. Besides, losing one parent is bad enough. She needs you."

Sasuke, who had been staring at each of the group, silently building up his energy, suddenly turned and looked at the young girl standing to Hinata's left. A feral gleam appeared in his eyes as he realized what had just been said.

"So that is the girl I heard rumors about. How would you like to see your father, child?" He snarled. Time seemed to slow down as a senbon of crackling energy shot out from Sasuke's hand, the needle aimed straight for the twelve year old's heart.

Hinata, her Byakugan activated and standing off balance from her steps toward Lee, could see that there was no way to deflect the bolt away from the girl in time. Her normally quiet demeanor forgotten, she flashed into action, screaming the preteen's name. Before any of the group could react, she had thrown herself between the demented missing-nin and his target.

Ayame had been frozen to the spot at the sight of their foe, afraid to move lest she draw attention to herself. She barely had any training, and knew she stood no chance against the last of the Uchiha. Not completely comprehending what was happening, she watched as the needle slammed itself into her mother's side, burrowing into her flesh.

With that single blow the street in front of the tower exploded into chaos as Lee, Choji and Kiba all charged Sasuke. A voice, the youth was unsure whose, yelled out to her.

"Ayame, get your mom and go NOW! We will hold him off as long as we can."

The last thing she saw as she helped Hinata stumble over the threshold into the Hokage's tower was Choji, his arms ballooned to enormous size, blocking the path to the pair, while Kiba and Lee both clashed with the Uchiha, their blows ricocheting off of a cloud of dark chakra forming around him.

"We need to get you to the Hokage's office." Hinata gasped out as they slowly made their way up the stairs. Ayame could tell the woman was hurt badly. She was barely able to stand, even with her daughter supporting her, and the young girl was unsure how much longer she could keep it up. Remembering a few of her lessons, she tried to push a bit of chakra into her legs, though she was much too upset to keep the flow steady enough for it to really help.

They made it to just outside the Hokage's office before her mother collapsed, blood streaming down from the wound in her side. Gasping in pain as she managed to unclench her jaw, she slid down the wall next to the door. Her breathing labored, she started digging into the kunai pouch attached at her hip.

"Ayame...Take this." Pulling a strangely shaped kunai with a symbol etched onto it out of her pouch, she pressed it into the girl's hands. "It's… the key. There should be a book on the far end of the top shelf. Take it down-"

Ayame cut her off suddenly, tears streaming down her face. "But what about you! I can't just leave you here mom! He'll kill you! I-"

"Ayame." Ayame immediately stopped at the sound of her name. Her mother hardly ever spoke to anyone like that, let alone her daughter. It was so out of character for the normally soft spoken woman that she could do nothing but stop and listen. Breathing hard, Hinata spoke again. "We don't have time to argue. Choji, Kiba and Lee can't hold him off for long. Get in there and take that book. You'll know what to do." The building shook underneath them as the girl threw her arms around her mother one last time.

"I-" She started, but cut off as a sob escaped from her throat. "I love you, mom."

"I love you too, with all my heart, Ayame." Her mother smiled weakly up at her. "Now go. Suna is expecting you." Hinata began coughing and blood appeared on her lips as she slumped against the wall, her eyes fluttering shut.

Tears still streaking her face, sobs wracking her body after what she had seen, the girl entered the office. Ayame, trying her best to compose herself, slowly looked around, examining the remnants of the work space her heroes had utilized so long ago. Seeing the shelves, she quickly moved over to them. At the far end of the top shelf sat a single, worn looking book, its pages dog eared and yellow with age. The cover was dark green, with a rectangle of cream on the front color where the title was written. Not pausing to read it's title, she snatched it off of the shelf. With a slow grinding noise, the bookcase slid back, revealing a chamber behind it. Walking slowly in, the book forgotten in her hand, she gasped. It was like nothing she had ever seen before.

Strange, unfamiliar symbols covered nearly every surface of the small six foot by six foot chamber. Only a strip on the floor running the length of the room was free of the markings. Situated in the center of the chamber was a small stone pedestal. Walking up to it, she could see the sides were covered in different symbols. Vaguely, in the back of her mind, she recognized these as chakra storage symbols. On the top of the small stone construction was a cutout in the shape of the kunai she carried in her other hand. Walking around the pedestal, Ayame hesitated slightly before she reached forward and placed the knife in the slot. The symbols on the pedestal immediately began to glow a deep blue color, and she could feel a huge amount of chakra being released into the walls, floor and ceiling around her.

Ayame was so preoccupied examining what was going on around her that she didn't notice the black cloaked figure leap into the room through the large window behind the ruined desk, stumbling slightly as he landed. Sasuke was breathing heavily, covered in blood from multiple wounds. One arm hung limply at his side, a crimson stained sword in his other hand. The last user of the Sharingan quickly scanned the room, finally coming to rest on the young girl standing in the small chamber.

"Girl."

At the word, Ayame jumped and looked up, giving her pursuer exactly what he wanted. Her eyes locked with his, and the distinctive shape of a pinwheel merged with a six pointed star burned its way into her mind as his genjutsu took hold. Their eyes locked, both stood rock still until, with a flinch, Sasuke himself broke eye contact. Ayame, breathing heavily, collapsed across the pedestal between them, still clutching the book in her hands. Slowly, a look of fear and hate etched across her face, she raised her head and looked toward the man standing just outside the entrance to the chamber. Sasuke stared at the girl in shocked silence. Visibly shaken, his face hardened back to the mask of hate that so rarely left his features.

"How did you do that, girl?" He growled through clenched teeth. "No matter. You'll soon join your family and your friends."

Dropping his sword, he drew his hand back, launching a lightning senbon toward her. Flinching back as the crackling energy shot toward her, the senbon, rather than imbedding itself into Ayame's neck, burrowed through her shoulder and impacted the wall behind her, marring the symbols etched into the wall. Energy arcing across her body, her scream muted to a strangled cry as the technique forced her muscles to clench. Ayame's fingers spasmed around the book clutched in her hands as, with a blinding flash and a noise like a thousand rock slides crashing down around them, she blinked out of existence. Sasuke, standing in the entrance to the chamber, was blown back, smashing into the wall behind him with a sickening crunch.

Slumping down against the wall, Sasuke's eyes surveyed the destroyed chamber, and then slowly slid shut. No one could have survived that explosion. He sat there, his breathing growing more and more labored, as a crazed smile slowly grew on his face. His objective accomplished as far as he knew, the last Uchiha, and the last remnant of Konoha's ninja, breathed his last.

* * *

A/N: Thanks to Gman391 for helping hash out some important details, as well as beta reading along with Bookworm702. This idea popped into my head and made me want to try writing it out. I don't know how long it'll last, but figured I'd post it and see what people think of my first attempt at writing a fic.


	2. Healing Wounds

Dawn broke over Konoha, the sun bathing the Hokage's monument in a warm glow. A large portion of the village was already awake, quietly going about their business. Hopeful children were just waking up, preparing for the day's classes at the shinobi academy. Merchants were beginning to open shop, ready for business. Shinobi could be seen quietly going about their duties. Genin teams tracking down errant cats or weeding gardens, Chuunin gathering equipment as they prepared for a mission outside the village. To an ordinary observer, it would be almost impossible to tell that the village sprawled before them had been nothing but a smoking crater two years ago.

For the observant however, it was fairly easy to see. Many of the buildings still had the look of new construction. Bright, crisp looking coats of paint and new roofing were the most obvious indicators. The streets were in perfect condition, potholes nearly nonexistent. In a few places near the edges of the city, buildings still surrounded in scaffolding could be seen. For the most part however, reconstruction was finished. Konoha had recovered from the devastating attack by Akatsuki's leader Pain with a will. The citizens and shinobi, working together, had rebuilt their home at an astonishing rate.

Of course, the significance of that feat was lost on one Naruto Uzumaki at the moment. The blonde haired man was sprawled across the bed in his small apartment, surrounded by empty ramen cups and ninja equipment. Muttering something about ramen in his sleep, the shinobi rolled over. Unbeknownst to him, this put his face directly in the path of a beam of sunlight entering the room through a crack in the shades. Eyes above distinctive whisker marks opened slightly, and then closed again as he shifted out of the light. It took approximately thirty more seconds before the import of just what that light meant sunk in. Eyes snapping open, the young man bolted upright in bed.

"Shit, I'm gonna be late!"

About fifteen minutes, and one impressive display of dressing and eating at the same time later, a rather rumpled looking Naruto emerged onto the roof of his apartment building, quickly tying his forehead protector into place. Wearing his normal black and orange zip front jacket with matching pants, the spiky haired shinobi checked the pouches on his belt before leaping from the roof.

"Oh man, Iruka is going to kill me."

The worried look on his face briefly disappeared as he passed the Ichiraku Ramen bar. Waving at Teuchi and his daughter as he streaked by, Naruto was already planning on stopping at the shop for lunch. Thankfully, Teuchi had put ramen back on the menu after Ayame's "experiment" with tsukemen hadn't turned out as well as she had hoped. Cringing slightly at the thought, the ramen mad shinobi shook his head and put on a burst of speed, quickly making his way to the academy.

Landing nimbly on the front steps of the academy, Naruto quickly moved into the building, hoping he wasn't too late. As he slid open the door and stepped into the correct classroom, the young shinobi could tell that hope had been in vain. The blonde's former teacher was standing in the empty classroom, a scowl on his face. The scar across the bridge of his nose stood out, making for an intimidating image.

"Damn it Naruto, when I asked you to help me demonstrate some more advanced jutsu for the class, I figured you would at least be on time. You've only been a jonin a month and you're already acting like Kakashi."

Cringing at the comparison to his perpetually tardy fellow jonin, Naruto began rubbing the back of his head, obviously embarrassed.

"I'm sorry Iruka. I kind of lost track of time training last night and well…" At this the blonde jonin shrugged, as if that was all he needed to say. One of Iruka's eyes twitched, but he let the subject drop. Motioning for the younger man to follow him, he quickly led the way out of the building to the nearby practice fields where a group of kids were waiting.

"Alright everyone, gather round. Now that one of our guests is here we can start the lesson. I'm sure you all recognize Naruto Uzumaki."

Describing what occurred next as a riot would have been putting it lightly. Shinobi hopefuls swarmed the much taller man, scraps of paper being thrust at him with demands for autographs, questions and statement's being fired at him left and right.

"Oh oh I wanna see some shadow clones!"

"No way, show us the Rasengan! That's way better than any old shadow clones!"

"I want to see sage mode! That's how you beat Pain right?"

"Let's see-"

Naruto was still a bit uncomfortable with all the fame that saving the village had brought him. Unfortunately, the first part of his fight with Pain had been rather…high profile. He had always wanted to be acknowledged by the village, and at first he had enjoyed the hero worship. But after a while, it had started wearing on him. He had just been doing his best to protect the village. Thankfully, the hero worship had died down as time passed and the villagers focused more on rebuilding their home. But every so often, especially among the younger citizens of the village, that adoration flared up again. Before it could go too far, Iruka intervened.

"ENOUGH! All of you sit down and pay attention."

Immediately, the group of kids stopped speaking and sat down on the grass, a sheepish look on most of their faces. Naruto couldn't help but grin seeing the older shinobi switch to teacher mode. He was still as intimidating as ever when he was teaching.

"I know all of you have things you want to see, but Naruto is here to help teach us about the summoning jutsu. Now, who can tell me the theory behind it?"

Naruto glazed over as the man who had taught him began lecturing about summoning. As much as he respected the chuunin, he still had a hard time paying attention to his lectures. Of course, the scarred man didn't have any problem paying attention to his audience and quickly spotted his helper staring off into space. Quietly moving up besides his young friend, Iruka jabbed him in the ribs and continued talking as if nothing had happened, prompting a few quiet giggles from his students as the blond man rubbed his side ruefully. Moving a safe distance away, the instructor addressed his friend.

"Ok, Naruto, go ahead. And keep it fairly small please." The last thing Iruka wanted was Gamabunta appearing in the middle of the academy grounds, but he wouldn't put it passed the prank happy man standing nearby to summon the boss toad just for the hell of it.

"Right, you're gonna love this!" A giant grin burst across Naruto's whisker marked face, and the spiky haired jonin quickly formed a series of seals with a flourish. Slamming his hand down a bit harder than necessary, the blond shinobi called out in a loud voice.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Naruto disappeared in a cloud of smoke before reappearing, posed in what he considered a heroic fashion, atop a large red toad. The toad straightened the blue vest he was wearing before glancing around, eying the crowd of wide eyed students.

"Yo."

Naruto, happy to see his friend, ignored the look Iruka was shooting him and quickly jumped down and greeted the oversized amphibian.

"Gamakichi! Thanks for agreeing to help me out. These are the students I was telling you about. Everyone, this is Gamakichi. He was one of the first toads I summoned!"

"Yeah, after he spent a lot of time summoning tadpoles."

Naruto shot a betrayed look at the large toad as laughter burst out of the children sitting a few yards away. Even Iruka was having a hard time hiding the smile on his face as he introduced his students, then started a question and answer session with Gamakichi and Naruto. After a half an hour of questions ranging from what Mount Myoboku was like and what being summoned felt like to "What kind of absolutely kickass jutsu" the toad knew, Iruka stood up and addressed his students.

"Well, it's about time for lunch so that's all the time we have for today." The chuunin smiled as a chorus of Awwws erupted from the crowd of children. "Now everyone thank Naruto and Gamakichi for agreeing to come and answer our questions. Maybe they can come visit us again another time."

A string of cheers erupted from the group of kids, then they stood and politely thanked the two as a group, a slight tone of pleading entering their voices as they repeated the idea their instructor had put forth before heading back to the academy building.

"Thank you very much Naruto and Gamakichi. Please come see us again!"

Gamakichi slapped Naruto on the back and disappeared, throwing a quick "see ya" to his friend before headed back to Mount Myoboku for his lunch. Iruka, a smile on his face, walked up to his favorite former student.

"Thanks again for agreeing to help out with the lesson today, Naruto. You were the only one available on such short notice. All in all, you handled yourself well. Other than reminding me a bit of Jiraiya with that pose, I'm rather impressed you didn't try to pull anything."

A grin spread across Naruto's face as Iruka spoke.

"Well I was a little nervous. But Granny Tsunade has been trying to get me to help out more with the students while I'm in the village. I've only been a Jonin for a month and she already wants me to take a genin team, but I don't think I'm ready for that yet. So when you asked, this seemed like the perfect place to start! As for pranks, I did sneak a little something into Gamakichi's pocket for that tadpole comment. "

The man's smile evolved into a smirk at the thought of what was happening right about now back in the toad's home. Iruka sighed. He supposed it was a bit too much to expect Naruto to go without at least one prank every once in a while.

"Well, pranks aside, you did a great job. When you're ready to take a genin team, I'm sure you'll be a great teacher."

Iruka didn't think his young friend's smile could get any wider as he rubbed the back of his head, a pleased, and slightly embarrassed, expression crossing his face. Slapping the spiky haired man's back, he laughed as he led Naruto toward the street.

"Come on Naruto, let's go to Ichiraku, my treat."

He jumped as Naruto crushed him in a hug, then dropped the chuunin and ran off down the street toward his favorite restaurant. Iruka stumbled after the hyper active shinobi, desperately trying to catch his breath.

"Oi Naruto, wait for me!"

* * *

About twenty minutes and five bowls of ramen later, Naruto and Iruka were sitting on at the counter in Ichiraku's, talking quietly. Teuchi and his daughter busied themselves clearing dishes and preparing orders, though the two could help but grill their favorite customer as they worked.

"So how did it go Naruto? You didn't pull anything with the students did you?"

"Leave him alone Ayame, I'm sure he did fine. Besides, I doubt Iruka would be paying for his lunch if he had done anything to his students."

The brown haired woman shot her father a look, then leaned over the counter and eyed Naruto, a smile on her face as she pressed Naruto for more details. After a quick summary of the morning's activities, Ayame smiled at the young man sitting across from her.

"See Naruto, I told you you would do great. You had no reason to be so nervous. You'll do fine when you finally take a genin team. Besides, That Nara you are friends with seems to be doing a great job with his team. And if he can handle a team, so can you."

_Shikamaru would probably have a fit if he heard someone say that. The last thing he expected was ending up with a genin team._ The thought crossed Naruto's mind, though he didn't say anything. Ayame was just trying to encourage him, and he didn't want to hurt the feelings of one of his oldest friends. Thankfully Teuchi came up and changed the subject.

"Speaking of friends, I haven't seen any of yours around for a while Naruto, where have they been?"

"Well, Shikamaru's usually pretty busy with his team…" _Not that he wants to be._ "Kiba and Shino are off on a recon mission, and Ino's been helping out her dad in interrogation when she and Sakura aren't working with Tsunade. I'm sure Lee is around some where training himself into the ground." A grin broke across his face as a picture of Lee, buried up to his neck and snoring soundly, appeared in his mind. Laughing quietly to himself, Naruto continued talking "I haven't seen Tenten or Neji for a while. And Hinata…"

Naruto cringed a bit as he thought about the white-eyed Hyuuga girl. They hadn't talked much since the attack on Konoha two years earlier. In the aftermath, everyone had been so busy rebuilding, and missions seemed to always have one of them out of the village at any given time. Seeing his face, Ayame immediately scowled. Her and her father were two of the few people Naruto had told about what had happened when he had been captured by Pain, though he had left some of the specifics out. The girl put down the dishes she was carrying and, reaching across the counter, smacked Naruto upside the head. Hard.

"Naruto, you still haven't talked to her? What the hell is wrong with you! You should have talked to her about what happened a long time ago. How do you think she is feeling right now?"

Iruka chimed in at this, agreeing with the young ramen waitress.

"She's right Naruto. If everyone wasn't so busy with the reconstruction and missions, I doubt Hinata would be in as good a shape as she is. As it is, she's just going through the motions. I've never seen someone so downtrodden. You need to do something. It's only a matter of time till it starts affecting her mission performance and she's either taken off active duty, or…"

Iruka grimaced as he left the thought unfinished. Naruto mirrored his father figure's reaction. There was only one way that scenario would play out.

"Your right. I know your right. But she almost died trying to save me. And I almost finished the job. I doubt she wants anything to do with me after what happened and after avoiding her for so long? She probably hates me. "

The few last sentences were said in a quiet voice, his eyes looking down at the bowl in front of him. Iruka, an annoyed look on his face, spoke up again.

"Naruto, weren't you paying attention when Kakashi brought you back to the village that day? Hinata was crying, she was so happy to see you come back safe. Only a true friend would worry about you that much. Regardless, you need to let her tell you that or not. Last I noticed, you're not a Yamanaka. You can't read minds. Yes, it's going to be a hard conversation. But if you really care about her, even if only as a friend, you need to have it."

Naruto stared into the ramen bowl on the counter in front of him. The normally brash and loud shinobi was deep in thought, thinking about what he was going to have to do eventually. The last thing he wanted to face was rejection by a friend. But he had basically rejected her. He had to make it right. Resolving to do his best to salvage his friendship with the Hyuuga girl, he looked up at Ayame and Iruka.

"Yeah you're right. Can one of you talk her into meeting me at the training grounds? I need some time to think."

Iruka coughed slightly and nodded,a surprised, but proud, expression on his face at Naruto's words. He had half expected him to ignore what they had said. Maybe the young man sitting next to him was starting to grow up a bit.

_Took him long enough._

* * *

Hinata was depressed, though she couldn't help but feel a bit guilty for it. After all, her relationship with her father had never been better. It took a lot for someone to face overwhelming odds and step forward anyway. The young woman had displayed a confidence and determination that Hiashi had only seen hints of, but had quietly been encouraging since well before the attack. Of course, she didn't think about any of this afterward. Her actions had just seemed so right, that what her family might think never crossed her mind. So she had been surprised when he had summoned her, shortly after the attack on Konoha.

Hinata had found him supervising the cleanup of the ruins of the Hyuuga compound. She knew what he wanted to talk to her about, and couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive as she approached.

"Y-you wished to speak to me Father?"

She cringed inwardly at the stammer in her voice. _I shouldn't be so nervous._ She wasn't ashamed of what she had done. In fact, Hinata was proud of herself for finally stepping up and laying her cards on the table. But facing the stern gaze of her father, a part of her couldn't help but be a little cowed. A person can only change so fast after all.

Hiashi turned at the sound of his daughter's voice and appraised the young woman standing before him, her indigo hair framing her face. Wearing her customary lavender jacket and navy pants, her forehead protector tied loosely around her neck, Hinata was eyeing her father nervously, her apprehension obvious. Motioning for a nearby family member to take over, Hiashi, his face nearly unreadable, led his daughter away, speaking as they walked.

"I have been reading some of the reports on the battle with the force known as Pain. All state that you attempted to intervene when Naruto Uzumaki was incapacitated." Hiashi paused and took in his daughter's reaction to the statement. At the mention of the young blonde man's name, Hinata straightened up a bit more, her confidence bolstered.

"That is correct father. I-"

"Your reasons are well known to me." Hinata immediately began blushing furiously. "While I am disappointed that you would show such a reckless disregard for your own life…"

Hinata openly cringed at this. She had already been lectured by Kurenai, Kiba, Shino, Ko, and countless others.

"…your dedication to protecting those you care for, a dedication I am sure extends to the entire village, brings honor to our clan."

The white eyed girl was speechless. True, her father had been increasingly supportive of her since he had been working to close the gap between the main and branch families. This though? She never expected this.

Ignoring the shocked look on his daughter's face, the Hyuuga patriarch continued speaking.

"Apparently you showed an impressive knowledge and control of the Gentle Fist in your battle. So, I believe it is time for you to begin training toward becoming a Jonin. When we are not assisting in the reconstruction effort, or on missions, you will be training with Neji and me more often. I trust you are up to the challenge?"

It took Hinata a few seconds to recover her voice and answer her father. She was a bit worried as memories of the brutal training regimens her father had put her through ran through her mind, but determined to do her best, she nodded.

"Yes Father."

That had all been before she realized Naruto was avoiding her. True they had all been busy. Constant construction projects tended to do that, and he had been out of the village for months on some important mission for the Hokage. So she had kept busy, throwing herself into her training. Her progress had been slow at first, but now she and Neji could both keep up with her father. The time had passed quickly, and her life had never been better.

She had been so happy when she heard he was back in the village. But the days passed, and she still hadn't seen Naruto in person. Assuming he was just busy helping out, as they all were, she hadn't worried about it. Then, day's turned into weeks. Weeks, into a month. She had finally run into him outside the Hokage's tower as she was reporting for a mission assignment. Hinata had been so excited to see the spiky haired shinobi that she almost hadn't seen it.

She greeted him, reverting to her old, hesitant self. Naruto had frozen at the sight of her, but had quickly greeted her in his normal exuberant manner, a smile on his face. They had talked for a few minutes, Hinata as akward as ever, and Naruto acting like everything was fine. But she knew they weren't.

His eyes had given him away.

If anyone was capable of hiding behind a mask, it was Naruto Uzumaki. He had done it to deal with the anger and pain being shunned by the village as a young boy had pushed on him, and he was doing it now. But Hinata could see the uneasiness in his eyes, in the little body ticks that a normal person wouldn't see. Naruto was uncomfortable around her.

That realization crushed Hinata. The man she admired, the first person to believe in her, couldn't stand to be around her. If it hadn't been for her determination to never give up, to always do her best, she would have made a mistake on a mission and been removed from active duty, or killed, long ago. But, she had put her feelings aside, telling herself that as long as he was happy and strong, that was all she needed. But every time she thought it, a part of her heart screamed in pain.

Hinata pushed the agonizing thoughts out of her mind as she left the Hyuuga compound and made her way toward the training ground Iruka's note had specified. She was curious what the chuunin wanted. She still saw the instructor occasionally, passing him on the street, or when she escorted some of the younger members of the clan to the academy. They would exchange pleasantries, talking briefly about the current group of students, or if the time of year was right, about the chuunin exams. But she couldn't think of any reason why her old teacher would want to speak to her.

As she approached the training ground, Hinata knew something wasn't right. Iruka wasn't one to make someone wait, but she couldn't see him anywhere. In fact the only person she could see, sitting atop one of the tall wooden pillars imbedded into the ground, was…

Hinata froze immediately, but it was too late. Naruto looked up, and seeing her, jumped down and walked toward her slowly. The mask was gone. His discomfort was obvious, unease and fear etched into his face. But she could see something else there as well. Mixed in with the other emotions was determination.

Naruto was going crazy with worry. What if's ran through his head at a million miles an hour as he waited in the training ground. This had seemed like such a good idea when Iruka and Ayame had talked him into it, and he knew, deep down, that it still was. But now, he was having second thoughts. _What if she won't listen to me? What if she thinks I'm a monster? What if she hates me?_ Naruto had thought he had gotten past what people think about him a long time ago. But, something was different this time. Hinata had always believed in him. She had said as much as he lay pinned to the ground, at Pain's mercy. And he had abandoned her. Hurt her.

He had almost frozen when he saw her standing at the edge of the training ground. But, taking a deep breath, he jumped down from his perch and slowly walked toward her, trying to think of what to say.

"Hinata, I-I,…" Naruto stumbled, searching for what to say. Unable to think of how to start, he went to the only other thing he could think of, glancing around them.

"- was hoping you would spar with me."

The girl stared at him, the hurt in her eyes obvious. _Why would he avoid me for so long, only to have Iruka ask me to come here? He avoids me, and then asks me to spar with him like nothing happened?_

Hinata didn't realize she had attacked until Naruto turned the hand she had aimed for his shoulder aside. Tears began running down her cheeks, all of her pent up emotions boiling out of her at once as she barraged the object of her affection with thrust after thrust, the chakra erupting from her hands palpable.

"Why? Why do you hate being around me? Why do you avoid me like the plague?"

Hinata sobbed, her words punctuated by the blows she launched at Naruto. For the first time since her ill-fated attempt to rescue him, she was speaking to the blond jonin without stammering, her words ringing clearly around the training ground.

The first blow had been unexpected, and he had nearly missed turning it aside. As it was, Naruto could feel the chakra pouring from her hands as she launched attack after attack at his tenketsu points. _So fast._ If she hadn't been so distraught, Naruto wasn't sure he could take her without resorting to sage mode. A small part of him couldn't help but be proud of her. She had obviously been training hard.

Focusing on blocking her attacks so they wouldn't cut off his chakra supply, Hinata's words hit him like a sledgehammer. _She thinks I hate her._ His timing thrown off by her questions, the Gentle Fist user slipped an attack past his guard, and Naruto dropped heavily to one knee.

Their brief fight completed, Hinata collapsed to the ground in front of him, burying her face in her arms. Her voice quiet, she began speaking again.

"I loved you. I still do. So, why?"

"…Because I was afraid."

Hinata's head snapped upward, the pain and anger in her eyes replaced by shock. Naruto wasn't afraid of anything. But looking into the man's blue eyes, she could see that he was. It was radiating from him like heat from a fire. Unable to meet her gaze, Naruto looked at the ground, his voice quiet as he spoke again.

"I was afraid you would hate me. I was afraid you would think I was a monster. You tried to save me and I completely lost it. I nearly let the Kyuubi go free. I almost finished what Pain started. You're my friend, and I didn't protect you. "

"Bullshit."

The single, quietly spoken word blasted past Naruto's defenses in a second. His jaw dropped, a pained look on his face. The spiky haired man began to say something, but was cut off by the girl sitting a few feet away. Hinata, wiping her eyes, quietly spoke, her gaze still locked on the ground in front of her.

"You saved the village. If you hadn't stopped Pain, Konoha wouldn't exist. We would all be dead. Tsunade, Shino, Kiba…me. Letting the Kyuubi take over? That was an accident. But you didn't hurt anyone but the enemy, even then."

A look of disbelief was on Naruto's face. After all that had happened, she didn't hate him for it. She didn't hold what had happened that day against him. Finally finding his voice, Naruto spoke, the self loathing in his voice plain.

"How can you say that? You almost died. If the fox hadn't left the village, you would have. I-"

"You can't protect everyone Naruto. I chose to try to save you. No one forced me. I knew what could happen, and I went anyway."

Hinata was shaking her head, her eyes dried. She was still upset he had avoided her for so long, but seeing the obvious pain and turmoil he was in, she knew he had worried about this more than nearly anything in his life. Naruto had punished himself for it, more than anything she could do would.

Naruto was amazed. All of the anguish, the worry, had been for nothing. It was unexpected to say the least. He had expected her to hate him. To tell him to leave her alone and never talk to her again. But she hadn't. And maybe, just maybe, there was hope.

"I'm so sorry Hinata. I'm so sorry."

Finally raising his eyes, Naruto met her gaze, His eyes filled with tears. Hinata had never thought she would see him cry. Naruto was so strong, so confident. A small voice in the back of her mind spoke up. _Even the stongest person has fear, sadness. Naruto is no different._ A thought struck her as she looked at the young man sitting across from her. It wasn't the hero of the village sitting there. It was the small boy, sitting alone in his apartment, wondering why the world seemed to hate him. Wondering what he had done to deserve it. That single realization galvanized her. Standing, she moved closer to the blonde and did something she would never have thought herself capable of.

She hugged him.

* * *

A/N Thanks once again to gman391 and bookworm702 for their beta work. Reviews appreciated.


	3. Arrival

Naruto stepped out of his apartment, a smile on his face. The conversation he had been dreading for so long had happened, and his worry, his fear and been thrown out the window. Hinata didn't hold what had happened that day two years ago against him. The fact that he had avoided her for so long for nothing made him sick, but he was determined to make it up to the girl. They had spent hours following their confrontation at the training grounds talking, at first about what had happened between them.

Part of him knew it was a bit much to expect things to be perfect between them right away. But what had happened was enough to make him optimistic. Naruto had his friend back. His thoughts went over their conversation a month before, remembering how they had laid their issues out in the open. The blonde shinobi blushed a bit as he remembered some of her words. _She said she loves me._

Naruto really wasn't sure what to think of that. He had never had a girl say those words out loud to him before Hinata. It was… confusing. He just didn't really know how to react to something like that. True, he had pestered Sakura for dates when they were younger, but had stopped as the situation with Sasuke had gotten progressively worse. With his constant missions and training, as well as being out of the village for so long traveling with Jiraiya, he simply hadn't had the time to get to know anyone enough to even think about that.

Hinata seemed different from most girls. She had never been as blatant with her affections as some of Sasuke's fan girls had been before he had defected. Instead, she seemed more determined to prove herself to him than anything. Her drive and determination impressed him. The fact that she had managed to incapacitate him the night before spoke volumes about her abilities, and the amount of training she had been doing. He had been so impressed that he had immediately asked her to help him work on his taijutsu. He didn't want to have to rely on his sage techniques in every situation, and sparring with a partner would help him improve much faster than working on his own. Hinata had blushed a bit at his praise, and had hesitantly agreed to meet him the next day. Thinking about it made him smile, and gave him a funny feeling in his stomach.

Figuring he was just hungry, Naruto made his way toward Ichiraku, enjoying the morning air. He was looking forward to their training session that night. Her speed and flexibility made it difficult for him to block her attacks without having his chakra system shut down, but he was able to keep up for the most part, and give her a run for her money on occasion. His attacks would swiftly overwhelm her blocks at first, until she did something rather unexpected. He still remembered the shocked look on her face when she had hurled him into a tree the first time she used the Kaiten during their matches.

He had jumped up, surprised to say the least, but had acknowledged her point, a broad grin on his face. She had blushed a bit, but rather than looking embarrassed, a small smile had appeared. They had continued, Naruto tossing a few ninjutsu techniques into the mix to make up for his slower attacks.

Their sessions, a simple way for Naruto to salvage his friendship with her, had quickly became routine. The young jonin could tell he was getting faster after working with the Hyuuga, and Hinata's confidence was at an all time high. Though he wasn't sure if it was just from being around him again, or from the improvements working together had wrought.

Pushing the thoughts aside, he greeted Ayame as he settled into his usual seat at the ramen bar. He hadn't been back since that night. His training sessions, as well as a mission to Suna, had kept him away longer than he wanted. The woman gave her favorite customer a huge smile when she saw him.

"Naruto! Where have you been? I haven't seen you in a month! Let me guess, a mission?"

"Yeah, since the Chuunin exams are in Suna this time, I made a trip to see Gaara and work out some details for Granny Tsunade. It was great to see him and his brother and sister again. Though Kankuro wasn't too happy with the puppet I took him."

Naruto smirked as he remembered the look on the puppet master's face when he was handed the small wooden tanuki toy. Gaara thought it was hilarious, but you couldn't tell if you didn't know him. Turning his attention back to the ramen waitress, he could tell she was dying to ask him something else. Naruto laughed a bit in his head, and ignored the curious look on Ayame's face. It was three bowls of ramen before her desire to know got the best of her desire not to pry, and she finally asked him.

"Ok Naruto, spill. What happened with Hinata that night? You went through with it right? You better have."

This last sentence was accompanied by a menacing look from Ayame, and an implication of pain, lots of pain. Naruto grimaced at her for a split second before his expression was replaced with a broad grin.

"Yes, I talked to her. She kicked my ass first, but I talked to her, and I think everything is going to be okay between us. We've even been meeting to train together."

Ayame had made to hit the blonde shinobi sitting across the counter from her before he had smiled at her. As she listened to him detail the encounter, her expression quickly matched his. She had been afraid he hadn't talked to Hinata when he hadn't been to the stand for so long.

"I'm happy everything worked out Naruto. So since you've been gone so long, I got something's to tell you about too!"

The two continued talking for a while before Naruto, seeing the clock behind the counter, paid for his meal and left, thanking Ayame for everything. Still savoring the last remnants of his breakfast, Naruto slowly made his way toward the Hokage's Tower. The people of the village, once so afraid and angry at him, no longer gave him angry glares. There were still a few old timers that shot hateful looks toward the Kyuubi's jailor, but they were few and far between since Naruto had saved the village. For the most part, Naruto would receive respectful nods, or grateful smiles from the citizens of Konoha. Even the Hyuugas were respectful. It was a welcome change. Nodding at the Chuunin guards as he made his way toward Tsunade's office, he mentally prepared himself for the ordeal to come.

Sliding the door open, Naruto barely managed to dodge aside as he entered, a fist flashing by his head and impacting on the wall. Judging by the way Tsunade were glaring at him, he could tell he had taken it a little too easy on the walk over.

"You're late Naruto. When I agreed to teach you about what being the Hokage entails, I assumed you understood being on time was a part of that."

Naruto, embarrassed at being late again, kept his eyes down, knowing that meeting the Hokage's eyes would end with him in a pile on the floor.

"Sorry. I thought I had more time than I did. Besides, you were just worried you would have to do all your paper work by yourself.

Unfortunately, Tsunade didn't seem to accept the half hearted apology, and Naruto quickly found himself nursing a large and painful welt on the top of his head. Swearing, Naruto stood, and quickly producing a pair of shadow clones, motioned at the two to get to work on the large stack of paperwork, ignoring the faces the two pulled at him as they set to work. Turning toward his teacher's teammate, he shot her a question.

"So Granny, is there any new news about the Akatsuki or Sasuke? We haven't heard anything since we took out their bases right after the attack. I never saw any sign of Sasuke at the ones I hit, and none of the other villages ever said anything about him either. "

Tsunade sighed at his question. Thanks to the information the Ame-nin Konan had provided following Naruto's victory, they had been able to raid a large portion of the criminal organizations hideouts. Losing their hiding places had been a huge blow to the group, not to mention the large amount of resources they had captured. The large, strangely shaped statue found in the bottom floor of one of the larger hideouts had caused quite a stir when they realized what it was. Unfortunately, the Statue of the Outer Path had disappeared before they could remove any of the tailed beasts from it, summoned away by the members of the Akatsuki. Since then, all sign of the group that had attempted to destroy Konoha in their attempted to capture Naruto had disappeared. There were occasionally reports of a sighting, but none of them could be confirmed, as hunter teams would never find any sign.

Their disappearance itself was enough to worry Tsunade. A group like that doesn't just up and disappeared. But after the initial cooperation between all the villages to take out the groups bases, the villages had gone back to their old ways, always suspicious of each other. Of the five major villages, only Suna and Konoha were allied. Kiri, Iwa and Kumo still viewed all outsiders suspiciously. The minor villages were nearly as bad, but with Amegakure allied with Konoha, many were starting to come round.

"No, there's still been no sign. The only major thing happening has been complaints from the merchants about bandit attacks. Apparently large amounts of raw materials used to make equipment have been stolen. But with most of the attacks taking place outside the Land of Fire's borders, there's not much I can do. Gaara has been helping as much as possible, but it's impossible to watch all of the roads."

Naruto was disappointed. With the group's disappearance, any chance he had to confront Sasuke disappeared along with it. At first he had wanted to tear the five nations apart and find where his old friend was hiding. But he had seen some horrible things in the bases he helped raid. Prisoners tortured till they went insane. Remnants of those who had stood in the group's way were everywhere. Naruto couldn't understand how former team mate could associate with people who would do such horrendous things. He hated the thought of what his friend might have become. The spiky haired jonin still held onto some hope that his friend could be saved, could be returned to Konoha, but the more time passed, the more he knew the chances of that were plummeting. If he continued on the path he had taken, Naruto didn't know what he would do.

Shaking his head, Naruto quickly replaced the troubled expression on his face with a smile. Worrying about it wouldn't bring them out of hiding. The only thing he could do now was continue to train, and prepare. The enemy would make their move eventually. When they did, he would be ready. Looking back at the woman sitting across from him, Naruto moved on for the moment.

"So what's up for today Tsunade? Please tell me we aren't going to talk about politics again. My head still hurts from the last time."

Tsunade, who was about to make a snarky reply, was interrupted by something she would have never expected. With a loud explosion, her and Naruto were bowled over, a flash of white light blinding them. When her eye sight had finally cleared, there was a young girl with shoulder length blonde hair standing in front of the far bookshelf. She was wearing a Konoha flak jacket over a grey shirt and pants, though the jacket was several sizes too big, and was so thread bare that it should have been thrown out a long time ago. Her eyes were wide open, the large, featureless lavender tinged white orbs staring straight ahead unseeingly, veins around her temples bulging. But for her eyes, she resembled a young female version of Naruto. But the girl's appearance wasn't the first thing either of the two shinobi noticed. The girl was screaming, blood running down her arm from an ugly hole burned in her shoulder.

* * *

"Damn it Naruto, this better not be one of your pranks."

"What the hell Tsunade? You really think I could pull something like this? I would NEVER hurt someone like that for a freaking prank!"

"I wasn't thinking that dumbass. But given her appearance, and the timing, what am I going to think? You've pulled of stranger things than making a clone that can bleed."

"Yeah, right. Even I'm not that good Granny. I still can't get these damn whisker marks off of my clones, and she doesn't have them. Besides, did you see her eyes? Those were freaking active Byakugan. That's not something you can fake with a henge."

Both Naruto and Tsunade were standing outside a hospital room, engaged in a heated discussion. Their guest's appearance had caused quite a bit of trouble. Anbu had appeared almost instantaneously, and had the girl not collapsed into unconsciousness, she probably would have been killed. Thankfully, she had, and Tsunade, seeing someone injured, had immediately began working on her, screaming at the Anbu to go get her supplies. She had stabilized the young girl, and quickly delivered her to the village hospital, placing her in the high security wing. It wasn't everyday a girl just materialized in the Hokage's office. Something was up, and it was better to be safe than sorry.

"So what the hell is going on Naruto? A twelve year old girl, who looks like you, AND has the Byakugan appeared in my god damn office and started to bleed all over the place just for the hell of it?"

"I don't know Granny. We'll just have to wait and ask her. How's she doing?"

Tsunade put the questions about the girl's sudden appearance out of her mind for the moment and went over the girl's condition.

"She's lost a lot of blood and has a pretty nasty hole stabbed through her shoulder. Looks like something a lightning jutsu did. But we were able to prop up her blood volume with some expanders, and she stabilized. There are signs of extreme exhaustion. Whatever happened, it probably wasn't pretty. I patched up the wound as best I could, and she should be fine. Hopefully she will wake up soon and we can get some answers."

Naruto scowled, his eyes asking a question. The girl had been wearing a Konoha flak jacket, and until he was shown proof to the contrary, he was assuming she was a member of the village. He wouldn't forgive Tsunade if she sent someone so young to Interrogation.

"Damn it stop staring at me like that Naruto. I'm not going to turn her over to Ibiki. I'll talk to her."

"I'm coming too."

"No Naruto. This isn't your concern."

"Yes it is Granny. If her appearance wasn't reason enough, there's something else. Look what she was holding."

Naruto produced an old dog eared book. The green cover was stained and gouges could be seen where fingernails had dug into it. Printed on the front was a familiar title.

"_Tales of a Gutsy Shinobi_? Why the hell would she be carrying a copy of Jiraiya's book?"

Naruto shook his head, uncertainty plain on his face.

"I have no clue Granny. She dropped it right before she collapsed. But that's not the weirdest thing about it. Open the front cover."

Tsunade shot the Jonin a questioning look before doing as instructed. Written in the front cover was a small line of script. _To Naruto, from your favorite super pervert._ Tsunade looked up in surprise. Naruto, a pained look on his face, nodded as she looked at him questioningly.

"Yeah, Ero-sennin gave that to me. It never was a great seller, but he always had a copy on him."

"So how did she get it?"

"She didn't. I left a copy at the memorial I made for the old pervert. This one I kept. I still read it. "

Naruto shook his head as he reached into the pouch hanging on his belt and slowly pulled out another copy of the book. This one, though well worn, looked much newer than the book Tsunade held in her hands. The gouges in the cover were missing, and the pages weren't yellowed. Opening up the front cover, Naruto held it so Tsunade could see. The script written in the front cover was exactly the same.

"What the hell?"

* * *

_You'll soon join your family and friends._

Ayame awoke, screaming. Bolting upright, it took a few seconds for her to realize she wasn't in the chamber, facing the man who had killed everything she cared for. The throbbing pain in her shoulder forced her to lie back, gasping for breath. _Where the hell am I?_ The last thing the girl remembered was pain shooting through her as that sadistic bastard stood there, glaring at her as his lightning needle plowed its way into her shoulder. Then there was a blinding flash, and nothing.

She obviously wasn't in Suna. The trees she could see out the window made that clear. The room was immaculately clean, white paint on the walls, and seals around the door and windows. Slowly sitting up, she moved her legs over the side of the bed and stood. The first thing to do was determine where she was. Ayame slowly made her way over to the window. Ayame froze as she took in the familiar sight of the five huge stone heads carved in the side of the mountain. _I'm still in Konoha._

But as she took in the sight, she could tell something was off. It took her a few seconds to realize what it was. There were people here. The Konoha she remembered was a barren ruin, devoid of human life. This one was full of life, just like it was when she was little. _What is going on? This is impossible!_ There were none of the signs of a genjutsu she had been trained to look for. Even a master couldn't make something this detailed. Thinking about what had happened, she could only think of one thing that would explain this.

_I must be dead._ The thought wasn't as painful as she expected. As much as she wanted to live, her family and all of her friends had already been killed. She would see them again. Any second now, her Mom and Dad would walk through that door, and she wouldn't have to worry about losing them ever again. It was strangely comforting. Still staring out the window, Ayame listened as she heard the door to the room slide open.

"You shouldn't be up girl. Get back in the bed before I make you."

"Lay off Granny Tsunade. She looks a lot better than she did when we brought her here. What's looking out the window going to hurt?"

Ayame turned at the familiar voice, a hopeful expression breaking out on her face. The man standing before her was almost exactly as she remembered him. A familiar leaf was etched onto the forehead protector he was wearing, his blonde hair making the vivid blue eyes stand out against his whisker marked face. The only thing missing was the red and black coat he had always worn in addition to the loud orange and black jacket and pants. Seeing him was too much. Bursting into tears, she threw herself at the shinobi, wrapping her arms around him and sobbing into his jacket.

"Dad! I never thought I would see you again. Where's Mom? She's with you isn't she?"

Ayame looked around, tears streaking her face as she searched for her mother. She didn't notice the shocked look on Naruto's face, as he looked over the top of the young girl toward Tsunade. The sannin was staring at the girl, a concerned look on her face. She gently reached out and pulled the girl from the jonin, directing her back toward the bed.

"Ok, you definitely need to get back in bed if you're think he's your dad. Lie back down."

Ayame looked toward the older woman as she was led back toward the bed. Her fair skin and blonde hair was familiar, but it wasn't until her eyes rested on the small purple diamond that seemed to be tattooed on her forehead that she recognized her. Ayame nearly burst out into tears again as she looked into the face of the Fifth Hokage, a woman that she had come to think of as a grandmother thanks to her mother's stories.

"What are you talking about Granny Tsunade? Of course he's my dad. Mom told me that you nearly killed him when I was born for being late. You were the first person to hold me. Don't you remember? You died when I was still a baby, but I'm here now. I don't mind what happened. I get to see every one I've lost again. My dad, my mom, you, and all my friends, I never have to worry about losing you again."

Ayame had been expecting a light of comprehension to blink on in the older woman's eyes as she recognized her. She was not expecting the confused look that appeared instead.

"I have no idea what you're talking about kid. Naruto doesn't have any kids. He's only eighteen. Besides, I'm far from dead. If I was, I doubt I would be standing here talking to you. Now get back in bed before I knock you out and put you back myself."

Ayame froze as Tsunade began pulling her back toward the bed. If she wasn't dead, what was going on? A vision of Sasuke Uchiha's eyes sprang to mind, the hated form of his Mangekyo Sharingan appearing before her. _I'm in the Tsukuyomi._ She had thought she escaped from it, but it was the only explanation. Before Tsunade could react, the young girl had bolted for the door, trying to escape from her nightmare. Only Naruto quickly intercepting her before she could reach the door prevented her from escaping into the night. Ayame's expression of joy had been replaced by one of pure hate, fighting to break loose from the spiky haired jonin as she screamed to the sky.

"Let me go! I know you've got me in your genjutsu you Uchiha bastard! What's the point of showing me them if they don't even know who I am? You killed them all anyway, so why torture me? Just kill me and get it over with you son of a bitch!"

Naruto, who was fighting to keep the struggling girl from escaping, picked her up and deposited her in the bed, where Tsunade engaged chakra suppression fields built into the bed. Ayame began trying to get out of the bed, until Tsunade slapped her across the face.

"Get a hold of yourself girl! You aren't in a genjutsu. Even if you were, the suppression fields in that bed would have broken it the moment I turned them on. So calm down!"

Ayame bit back a cry, feeling the pain from the blow spreading across her face. Looking up, tears began running down her face once again, a look of disbelief plain on her face as she practically screamed at him.

"How do I know that? Everyone I care about is DEAD! My Dad, my Mom! All my friends! If I'm not dead, there's no way you should be here! My dad died when I was six years old! This has to be an illusion!"

The girl began sobbing, tears soaking into the shirt she was wearing, overcome by what was happening. If he was real, what was going on? She didn't notice the shocked expressions the two standing on either side of the bed were giving her. Naruto finally spoke up, asking the question he had been burning to ask.

"What did you mean Uchiha? Did Sasuke do this to you? Why? Why would he do this?"

An expression that flickered between anger and sadness covered the young man's face. Why would he attack a young girl? Sasuke's anger toward those responsible for his clan's destruction was something Naruto could understand, but this? Attacking a twelve year old who was obviously no threat was evil. The thought would be keep him awake at night for quite some time.

It was quite a while before Ayame was capable of answering. The young girl cried herself out, while the blonde haired man stood quietly, fidgeting as he waited for an answer. She finally spoke, only glancing toward Naruto before focusing on the wall behind him.

"Because he wanted to destroy all of Konoha, and he did it. If we hadn't been in Kiri when Akatsuki attacked, he would have done it in one fell swoop. The only reason we came back to Konoha was to use the chamber in the Hokage's office to get to Suna."

Tsunade had been listening carefully to what the girl was saying, trying to find something to explain what was going on. The girl was obviously hysterical, but something was bothering the medical specialist. She didn't have the crazed look that Tsunade had seen so many times in other shinobi. She honestly believed what she was saying was the truth. Taking the opportunity to gain some new information, she spoke, questioning the girl.

"What do you mean chamber? The only thing in the office is an old closet behind one of the bookshelves that I use for storage."

Ayame answered her, still staring at the wall, refusing to meet either of their gazes.

"It was behind some shelves, but the walls were covered in some weird seals. There was a block in the center of it that I slotted this three pronged kunai into before…"

Ayame gasped as the pain in her shoulder flared, forcing her to lie back in the bed. Tsunade immediately moved forward and began examining the bandages wrapped around the girls shoulder. Thinking as she worked, Tsunade pieced it together first.

"A chamber filled with seals, a three pronged kunai, and you said you were expecting to end up in Suna? That sounds like one of the Fourth's jutsu. A space-time jutsu. "

Ayame looked at the woman tending her wound and nodded slowly as she watched Tsunade rewrap the bandages around her shoulder. This was too real. Something strange was going on. Sasuke wouldn't go through so much trouble. He would have just tortured her for real and then killed her. She didn't have any information he could possibly want, so why would he try to trick her like this? The blonde girl wasn't sure what was going on anymore, but something told her what was happening was real.

"My mom said that it was based on one of his jutsu. We couldn't get to Suna directly, not with the Akatsuki's armies patrolling the roads. So we went to Konoha to use the chamber."

Naruto froze at the mention of the group. _Them? What could they have to do with this? _The group hadn't been seen in some time, and some were starting to believe they were gone for good. But Naruto wasn't one of them. He knew they wouldn't just give up like that, and it was only a matter of time. Taking a deep breath, he took a deep breath and spoke again, getting back into the conversation.

"What do you mean armies? Akatsuki only has a few members. They don't have armies."

The girl slowly opened up as they questioned her, their gentle questioning and her own intuition prompting her to trust them. The two gradually pieced together Ayame's story and it wasn't a pretty picture. Konoha's fall at the hands of the Akatsuki wasn't something either Naruto of Tsunade would expect to happen.

After the girl had told her story, the two had left, the Hokage posting a pair of guards at the door of Ayame's room and then sealing it. It was late, well past midnight when the two finally made it back to the Hokage's office. Tsunade collapsed into the chair behind her desk before looking at Naruto.

"This has got to be the craziest thing I've ever had happen."

"You're not the one being told he's got a kid! How is this possible? She looks just like me, except for the eyes. I wonder who her mother is."

Tsunade smirked at the blonde man sitting across the desk from her.

"Well, if we believe her story, I'm guessing its Hinata."

Naruto immediately turned bright red, and Tsunade couldn't help but laugh.

"Don't look so shocked! Before you saved the village she and Neji were the only Hyuuga who wouldn't look at you like something they just scraped off their shoe. And until then, you were the only person in the village who didn't know she has a thing for you. Anyway, until we can confirm what she's saying isn't planted, it doesn't really matter. Go get some sleep. I'll have Inoichi Yamanaka see what he can find out from her while she's sleeping, and I'll run some tests myself. I don't need to tell you this is top secret correct?"

"What do I tell Hinata? I missed our training session tonight."

The smirk left Tsunade's face, and her expression turned serious.

"Tell her I kept you busy. That much is true. If what Ayame is saying is accurate, we might have to tell her the rest anyway. Just having some random girl appear with the Byakugan isn't going to sit well with Hinata's father. Without someone from the main family on her side, Hiashi will probably try to brand her with that damn seal. No matter how well relations between the branch and main families are getting, he doesn't hesitate to use that thing, and I'm not letting that happen. Bring her with you when you come back tomorrow."

Naruto's face darkened at the mention of the seal. He hated the practice, and the thought of the girl being branded with it made him sick. He may not be able to do anything about the seal at the moment, but this was something he could handle. Naruto nodded and headed for the door, pausing as he opened it to leave.

"I'm not letting that happen either. I'll see you tomorrow Granny."

Tsunade sat quietly for a while after Naruto left, thinking. If Konoha really did fall in the future, things were going to get bad. The thought of Akatsuki building an army gave her pause. The thefts were suddenly a lot more suspicious. But with the village as shorthanded as it was, it would be quite some time until she could risk sending someone to investigate. For now, she would determine if the girl was telling the truth. If she was, she would prepare. Konoha would be ready.

* * *

A/N Thanks to gman391 for his great beta work, I really appreciate it. I only recently started reading some of the stories on thanks to leading me to some stories, and I decided I wanted to try my hand at writing something. I appreciate your reviews, and I'll try to answer any questions that you have if they aren't addressed somewhere in the story.


	4. Meetings

Hinata frowned as she approached the hospital. Naruto hadn't shown up last night, and she wasn't sure why. In the month they had been training together, he had only missed their sessions a few times, and even then, the blonde haired jonin had always sent a shadow clone to let her know what was happening.

But he hadn't the night before. She had arrived at their usual time, a few hours before dark, expecting him to show up shortly after her. Hinata was always there first, it was just her habit. Punctuality was something that had been ingrained into her by her family. When he had not shown up on time, she didn't think much of it. No matter how much Naruto liked to protest, Kakashi had worn off on him a bit. He wasn't late much, but every few days he was five or ten minutes late. But when he hadn't show up by the time it was dark, Hinata knew something was going on. So she went home, part of her worried that she had done something wrong. But another part, one that had been growing larger as she spent more time with Naruto, was a little pissed.

Something had happened to her that night. She had always held herself in tightly. Hinata wasn't usually the type to make waves, but after the attack on Konoha, she wasn't happy with that anymore. So she had spoken up, had began making changes. She stood before her father, and walked away with her head held high. She sparred with Neji, and walked away the winner on occasion. When she had realized that Naruto was avoiding her she had reverted a bit, but their encounter at the training ground had taken care of that.

So when she had left the compound that morning, she nearly spiked what she assumed was Naruto in the face with a blast of chakra. Of course for Hinata, "nearly" meant the thought passed through her mind and then her fingers twitched a couple of times. Instead of following through with that thought, she had given him the benefit of the doubt. After what had happened between them that night, she doubted he would avoid her over anything ever again.

"You missed our sparring match last night Naruto."

Naruto had flinched, a guilty look across his face, though he looked worried about something, and maybe embarrassed. He had rubbed the back of his neck, smiling at her as he did so.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that Hinata. Granny Tsunade kept me busy last night, and you know how she can be. That's actually what I was coming to talk to you about. Can you meet me at the hospital in an hour? You might want to cancel any plans you had today."

"Why? What's going on Naruto? Is someone hurt?"

She had immediately begun worrying. The only reason she would be needed at the hospital was if someone in her family, or one of her friends was hurt. With Hanabi off on a mission with her team, and Shino and Kiba due back any day, she had to admit she was a bit worried.

"No, nothing like that, it's more like there's someone you need to meet. I can't really say much more. Granny Tsunade and I will fill you in when you get there. "

Hinata gave Naruto a small smile, though her eyes were watching him questioningly. Knowing there was a reason he wasn't telling her more, she agreed.

"OK. I'll meet you there. I'll have to let my father and Neji know what is going on."

Naruto had frozen a bit at the mention of Hiashi. But he quickly recovered, giving her a smile and then, with a quick goodbye, disappeared in a cloud of smoke, revealing himself as a shadow clone. Hinata shook her head as she realized what it was. His habit of using clones as messengers tended to get on the nerves of some of the village's inhabitants, but Hinata was used to it. He was so skilled at using the technique that you often didn't know you weren't talking to the real thing until it dispelled itself, so there was no point in getting angry about it.

Hinata walked onward, replaying the conversation in her mind. He had been obviously embarrassed when he mentioned introducing her to someone, his face turning a bright red. What he had to be embarrassed about, she had no idea, and why he had frozen at the mention of her father was worrisome. That pointed toward something that involved her family, not just her personally. But there was only one way to find out what was going on, and standing around thinking about it wasn't it. So she made her way toward the hospital, her curiosity peaked. Who could she possibly need to meet at the hospital?

* * *

"There were some signs of bandit activity on the roads just beyond the border into Tea Country. But that is as far as my range allowed us to detect them. They did not enter our borders."

Tsunade was distractedly listening to the report Shino Aburame and Kiba Inuzaka were giving. She was tired, her eyes bloodshot. After starting tests on a few blood samples she had taken from the girl and giving Inoichi Yamanaka his instructions, she had retired for the night. Unfortunately, visions of a future where Konoha had fallen had kept her awake, parading through her head like a demented circus troupe. Pushing such nightmarish thoughts aside, she returned her attention to the two shinobi before her.

"Very well Shino. Do you have anything to add Kiba?"

The feral looking shinobi thought for a bit, Akamaru giving a few small impatient yips, obviously ready to get home.

"Nothing major. They were making a point of staying outside of our border. The load of them was just too chicken to try their hands against us."

Kiba had a smug look on his face, though a bit of disappointment was mixed in with it. He had been hoping for a fight. Tsunade sighed at his statement. If something wasn't done soon, the theft of so many shipments was going to start affecting Konoha's economy. Looking up, she noticed the form of Inoichi Yamanaka standing in the back of the room, his black cloak marking him as a member of Konoha's interrogation unit. _Finally. _She quickly filled out a pair of pay vouchers, handing them to the two shinobi.

"Well done. Someone will contact you when another mission is available. If there is nothing else to add, you may go.

The two thanked her and took their leave, happy to be on their way home. They had been working near the border to Tea Country for quite a while, and both were looking forward to a shower and a night in their beds. As soon as the two left, Tsunade motioned the Yamanaka to close the door, seals built into the room activating to make sure their conversation would remain private.

"So Inoichi, What do you think? Are they a plant?"

The interrogator shook his head, obviously disturbed by what he had seen.

"No Lady Hokage. The memories the girl has are all genuine. Based on what I was able to determine, I would agree with your theory that it was a malfunction in the Time/Space transport seals that deposited Ayame Uzumaki in your office. Most likely as a result of the attack she sustained."

Tsunade took on a grim expression as he spoke, her fears confirmed.

"My tests were conclusive as well. She is definitely the daughter of Hinata Hyuuga and Naruto Uzumaki. Inoichi, I am hereby classifying this as an S class secret. We cannot allow news of this to spread. We have a chance to head off disaster before its too late, and only those directly connected to her presence can know. What are your suggestions?"

"You won't be able to keep her secret from the Hyuuga clan. The moment she uses her Byakugan in view of any of them, they will know something is not right."

"I know. We must at least make the clan head aware of what is happening. But I am not sure what will happen. I'm introducing her to Hinata today, and Naruto already seems to feel protective toward the girl. If Ayame has the backing of a member of the main family, they should be able to figure out a plan of action. Plus, Naruto is bound to issue some death threats should the family seal be even mentioned. Not even the Hyuuga are foolish enough to challenge him."

Inoichi listened carefully, his face unreadable. Tsunade was correct. Naruto was a force to be reckoned with when anything he chose to protect was threatened.

"The girl views herself as an Uzumaki first. Any attempt to induct her into either side of the Hyuuga clan will not be appreciated."

Tsunade laughed, agreeing with him.

"Yes, she certainly acts a lot like Naruto in that regard, but there may not be any choice. I need to get to the hospital. Thank you for your report. You are dismissed."

Inoichi nodded, the ghost of a smile appearing on his normally serious face. Turning to leave, he stopped and glanced back at the Hokage.

"She is an interesting child. Her memories point toward a dark future, yet she still has hope. We must protect that."

* * *

Naruto stood outside the hospital, fidgeting as he awaited the arrival of his friend. He was still trying to wrap his mind around what had occurred. He had a daughter. The thought still made him blush, especially after who her mother was had been confirmed. Naruto wasn't sure what that meant. Oh, he knew exactly what Hinata being the girl's mother meant from a biological standpoint. He had spent far too much time with Jiraiya to not know that. But he didn't know what his own feelings on the matter were. Hinata was one of his closest friends. They had spent so much time together lately. Could he get involved romantically with her? She was a great shinobi. She refused to give up, always striving to do her best. Naruto admired her determination, and he did admit she was beautiful. Her long, deep blue hair. Her pale eyes, the lavender tinged orbs seeming to see through everything. Not to mention-

"Um, Hi Naruto. What are you thinking about?"

Naruto jumped, blushing as he saw who had addressed him.

"Oh uh hey Hinata! I wasn't thinking about anything. Just, um, ramen! Yeah I was thinking about what I wanted to have for lunch, that's all."

Naruto watched her nervously. If this was Sakura, and she even had an inkling what he was thinking about, he would probably be in a bloody pile on the floor. Hinata just smiled shyly, watching him as he fidgeted under her gaze.

"So who are we meeting?"

Naruto, relieved that he had escaped unscathed for the moment, smiled at his friend.

"Granny Tsunade will be here in a few minutes. She can probably explain better than me."

"I would think so twerp. You would probably get confused and mess it all up."

Tsunade dropped down beside the two teens, a smirk on her face as Naruto glared at her.

"Hey, that was only once and Kakashi got over it. Besides, making me give mission briefings has been helping."

Tsunade rolled her eyes before moving toward the door, sarcasm practically dripping off of her words.

"Keep telling yourself that kid, I'm sure Kakashi agrees with you. He still looks squeamish every time he sees bacon. Let's go inside, this is going to take a while.

Walking into the hospital, Tsunade led the two into the high security wing. The group stopped outside one door, the Hokage motioning the chuunin guards to leave. As soon as they were alone, Tsunade turned toward Hinata, who was looking around warily. The only reason someone was put in the high security wing was they were either a prisoner, or in danger.

"Hinata, what we are about to tell you is an S-Class secret. This information cannot be shared outside of those who know already. The survival of the village may depend on it. Do you understand?"

Hinata watched the expression on both Naruto and Tsunade's faces. Naruto looked more embarrassed than concerned, while Tsunade was deadly serious. The Hyuuga met the Hokage's eyes, speaking softly.

"I understand Lady Hokage. Please continue."

Tsunade nodded, watching the young woman for any reaction. Looking over at Naruto, who was standing beside Hinata, encouraging her, she continued on.

"Yesterday, while Naruto and I were discussing his lessons, we were both caught off guard when someone appeared in my office."

Hinata was a bit shocked. The Hokage's tower was guarded at all times. Anbu operatives surrounded the building, guarding the village's leader with their lives. For someone to get past them, they would have to be extremely skilled ninja. Tsunade, seeing her expression, reassured the girl.

"There was no threat. It was a young girl, approximately twelve years old. While she does appear to have some shinobi training, it is incomplete. She was wounded and bleeding heavily when she appeared. We brought her here as soon as she was stable enough to be moved."

Hinata relaxed a bit when she learned it was a child. This however brought up another question in the quiet girl's mind. Glancing toward Naruto, who still looked rather embarrassed, she voiced it.

"That's why Naruto missed our training last night. But other than that, what does this have to do with me? I don't have training as a medic -nin, so what connection to this girl could I have?"

"We will let her explain that. Her name is Ayame. Are you ready to meet her?"

Hinata nodded slowly. The only Ayame she knew was the waitress at Ichiraku, and she had just seen her last night when she had been looking for Naruto, so this couldn't be her. Pushing her curiosity aside, she followed the two into the hospital room. Standing near the window was a young girl, her shoulder length blonde hair hiding her face as she looked out across the village. Naruto moved forward and spoke, talking to the girl, a smile spread across his face. He had already spent the morning talking with her, and she seemed to have gotten used to seeing him, for the most part at least.

"Ayame, we brought someone to see you. We need to figure out how to handle having you appear in the village, and she should be able to help."

Ayame turned away from the window, her eyes hidden from Hinata while she looked at Naruto. She gave the young man a grateful look, shaking her head as she moved across and hugged him, burying her face in his jacket.

"Ok Dad. This is just so weird. I still don't understand how this happened, but if anyone can help…"

Naruto stood there, his face red as he awkwardly patted the girl on the back. _Man this is weird._ Naruto stood there for a few seconds until Tsunade interrupted, addressing the girl currently crushing the young man.

"Ayame, if you would let go of Naruto, we need to introduce you to your visitor."

Ayame looked toward the older blonde haired woman, nodding as she spoke, he eyes moving across to the blue haired teen standing next to her.

"Ok Granny. Who is-MOM!"

Hinata had frozen when she heard what the girl called Naruto, and she began blushing furiously. _Dad?_ Naruto was only eighteen. This girl was twelve. It was impossible. But age aside, she did resemble Naruto. Her straight, shoulder length hair was exactly the same shade of blonde that Naruto's was. Still, how could she possibly be his daughter? She had stood there, her mind racing as she tried to think of some reason she would call him that as Tsunade spoke. All thoughts dropped out of her head as Ayame turned toward her. Byakugan met Byakugan, and the girl's cry slammed into her with almost as much force as the girl herself as Ayame crushed her much younger mother in a hug, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I never thought I would see you again. After what happened outside the tower, I thought you were gone forever. But you're okay."

Tsunade gently pried the preteen off of Hinata, speaking as she did so.

"You really need to stop calling them that Ayame. If someone were to hear you, it would bring up some difficult questions."

Ayame wiped her eyes, smiling up at Hinata and Tsunade.

"Ok, Granny. I'm sorry. This is just so strange. I thought I had lost everyone, and then this happened. You're all alive. It's still a bit much to handle."

Hinata stood there, having trouble breathing, partially from the force of the hug, but also from what had been said. She tried to speak several times, but all that would come out was a muted squeak. _Mom? But that means…_ Naruto had moved beside her, watching his friend begin to hyperventilate, her face turning a deeper red every second. His embarrassment was momentarily forgotten as he gave the girl a concerned look,

"Um, Hinata, you need take a deep breath. If you keep going like this, you're going to-"

"Mom?"

Hinata barely managed to squeak out the question before her eyes rolled up into the back of her head, and she collapsed. Naruto, standing right next to her, caught the young woman before she could hit the floor. Picking her up, he laid her on the hospital bed before turning to the other two occupants of the room. Rubbing the back of his head, his face still crimson, he addressed the woman standing beside Ayame, who was watching the proceedings with a bemused expression on her face.

"-pass out. Um, is she going to be okay?"

Tsunade spoke, her words causing the blush on the young man's face to deepen, a grin on her face as she watched Naruto take care of her.

"She'll be fine. It's not every day you find out you have a kid with the man of your dreams."

OoOo

"Ok Granny Tsunade, so what are we going to do? I won't let them put that damn seal on her. If they even try, so help me they will regret it."

Naruto faced Tsunade as he spoke, his rage evident in his eyes, fists clenched at his side. The Hyuuga's seal was an abomination in his eyes, and this girl, his daughter, might be marked with it. His daughter. Those two words were something he had never expected to think, but it filled him with determination as he did. He had a family. True, she was from the future, but he didn't care about that. She was his blood. Naruto had always been protective of those he cared about, but when he thought of Ayame being threatened, only catching sight of Hinata had stopped him from leaving and killing the Hyuuga elders himself. As much as he hated them for their actions, they were still her family. He couldn't bring himself to take away from her what he never had. Naruto took a deep breath and calmed himself, using some of the meditation techniques he utilized in his senjutsu. He would have to think of something else.

Hinata, who had been filled in on what exactly had happened once she awoke, shook her head, speaking quietly as she addressed the boy standing at the foot of the bed she was sitting on, her face still bright red.

"Father may understand, but the elders will not like this. He has been working toward reuniting our family, but the elders resist as much as they can, and they will push to have her marked. A non-Hyuuga with the Byakugan will be considered an affront to the clan."

"But she's a Hyuuga by blood, surely they won't-"

The girl in question cut Tsunade off, obviously annoyed.

Hey, I'm an Uzumaki, not one of those icicles! Just because I have my mom's eyes doesn't make me like them. Except for Mom and Uncle Neji, they were all a bunch of jerks any way."

Hinata listened to Ayame and Tsunade argue, and couldn't help but smile as she listened to the young girl. She wasn't nearly as loud as Naruto, but just as likely to speak her mind. She had the same fire as him. Speaking up, the Hyuuga interrupted the argument, the sadness evident in her eyes as they spoke of her family.

"We may not have any choice. The only way that she won't be sealed is if my father allows it. He is the one I have to convince. If I can do that, the rest of the clan will not question him."

Naruto scowled at the woman sitting on the bed. There were a lot of "I's" being thrown around. She was his family too damn it! That thought broke something loose, and he suddenly remembered talking with Tsunade about the village's laws regarding clans.

"What if I formally adopt her as an Uzumaki? They can't touch a member of a different clan, and even though it would be a clan of two, I doubt they would risk it. The political blow back would be enormous. They would risk angering every shinobi clan in the village."

Tsunade looked thoughtful as she considered this option, before shaking her head.

"That would require the clan being formally recognized by at least three others. With the secrecy around Ayame, that will be difficult to do. Besides, that is your mother's name. Wouldn't you rather wait and reestablish a clan in your father's name?"

Ayame looked rather downcast at this. She hated the idea of being known as anything other than her real name. Naruto shook his head, replying to Tsunade's question.

"Uzumaki is the name I grew up with. It's as much a part of who I am as the marks on my face and I can't just abandon that. Besides, I'd rather gain acknowledgment through my own actions, not because of who I am. I should be able to get the approval of four clans. Give me a few days before we approach Hiashi, and I'll see what I can do."

Hinata was a bit worried about where that option could lead, and it was plain on her face. She looked back and forth between the young man and Ayame, her eyes wide.

"Naruto, are you really sure that's a good idea? The elders will not like it, and it could bring up some awkward questions about Ayame."

"So I'll claim she's an orphan I rescued from Kumo, but I couldn't reveal her until now. Their obsession with the Byakugan is obvious, so it won't be hard to believe that's where she came from. Besides, what else can we do Hinata? If I don't at best she has that _thing_ branded on her, at worst they blind her or kill her. I won't allow it."

Hinata swallowed, voicing the only other option available.

"I-I could claim her as my daughter. They won't be happy, and it will be hard to get through, but they will have to follow our own traditions."

Tsunade spoke up, giving her advice, surprised at the different tactics the two had come up with.

"As Hokage, I can't involve myself in an inter-clan dispute, and that's essentially what this is. I can mediate, but I can't dictate terms. So the details are up to you. But I'd say talk to Hiashi alone first, and then decide which the best idea is."

The girl spoke up, her face hard as she spoke, eyes flashing defiantly.

"I don't want to give up my family name. I am proud to be an Uzumaki."

Naruto gave the girl a crooked grin, pleased to hear her words.

"I agree with you Ayame. But Hinata's idea will cause the least waves, so we need to try it first. But if that doesn't work, we will go with my plan. I've wanted to do this anyway, and it's as good a place to start as any."

* * *

After two days of hurried meetings with clan heads, they were ready to face Hiashi. Naruto's head was still spinning over all of the wrangling he had gone through to secure their recognition. It really wasn't all that bad he kept telling himself. If it wasn't for his friends help, he probably would have had a harder time meeting with the Nara, Akamichi, Aburame and Inuzaka. Shino had merely raised an elbow at his strange request, before replying that it would be illogical for his family to ignore the petition of one so loyal to the village. Shino's father had said much the same thing, even quirking his eyebrow in the same fashion. His encounter with Shikamaru Nara had been a bit more interesting.

Shikamaru had looked up from staring at clouds, his genins off chasing a cat again, and gave Naruto an exasperated glare.

"Let me get this straight. You want to reestablish your family as a clan, and you want me to help."

Naruto, who had just said as much, returned the look before replying.

"That's what I just said Shikamaru! Geez, what's so hard to understand about that? I did some looking and the Uzumaki were an important family in whirlpool country before their village was destroyed. I'm the last one, and I don't want the name to die."

Before Shikamaru could reply, they were interrupted by the approach of his team. Naruto took the group in. It was made up of an Aburame girl, as well as an Akamichi, their family markings and distinct clothing style easily marking them as such. The third, a boy with red hair who must have been civilian born, was holding a struggling cat as they approached.

"Hey Shikamaru-sensei! We got the cat. So what are you going to teach us today after we turn in our mission?"

The young boy was smiling excitedly as the Nara motioned him over and took the cat from him, rolling his eyes and sighing as he did so.

"Troublesome. That was faster than last time. I guess we will work on differentiating henges from the real thing."

Handing Naruto the cat, he flashed through a few hand seals, and a pair of shadow clones appeared, before immediately transforming into exact copies of the cat Naruto was holding. Taking in back from Naruto, he set it down, and the cat bolted for the trees, followed closely by the pair of doppelgangers. The three genins all stared at their sensei, an outraged look on their faces, before they took off after the cats, cursing his name the whole way.

Naruto laughed out loud as his friend wrote him a note before flopping back down under the tree.

"That was cold Shikamaru. You're as bad as Kakashi was!"

"It's their fault for catching it so quickly. Besides, they need the extra endurance training. Take this to my house, and they will let you in to see my dad. Not that he will have a problem with your request."

"Thanks Shikamaru. Don't work your team too hard eh?"

Flopping back down on the grass, the Nara returned his attention to the sky, muttering his favorite word under his breath as Naruto walked away.

"Troublesome."

* * *

The meetings with the other clan heads weren't nearly as entertaining as Shikamaru tormenting his team, and went quickly, each gladly supporting his request. The Akamichi had invited him to dinner, and were delighted to find someone who could match them plate for plate, especially when they made the mistake of mentioning it was ramen night. Meeting with Kiba's family had gone smoothly, even with Naruto being mobbed by a group of puppies that had decided he was a good chew toy. Before long, Naruto had the support he needed, and they were ready to meet with Hiashi.

Hinata cast an appraising eye over the other two people accompanying her into the Hyuuga compound. Naruto was wearing his normal outfit, but with a familiar red coat trimmed with back flames, as well as a large scroll slung across his back. Ayame was wearing a pair of plain black cargo pants, as well as a short sleeved, dark green shirt. Sewn onto the left shoulder of her shirt was a crest, made up of the familiar spiral that was on the back of the flak jackets many of the village's shinobi wore. However, the symbol was inset into a large, white circle, causing the crest to resemble an eye, with the orange spiral as the pupil.

"You look good. They won't be able to take offense at your appearance at least. But I thought that coat was destroyed Naruto?"

"Gamakichi brought me another one a while ago. I really liked my first one, so he and Fukasaku talked Shima into making me another."

Ayame was standing, tapping her foot as she waited; obviously impatient to get this over with as she stared at them through the dark sunglasses she was wearing to hide her eyes.

"Can we get going please? This isn't exactly my idea of fun."

Naruto couldn't help but laugh as Hinata led them toward their meeting. He was nervous as well, and a little levity was welcome.

"I'm with you Ayame. Let's get this over with. Then we can go get some ramen!"

The girl's face brightened considerably, her face hopeful as she looked at him.

"At Ichiraku? I remember eating their a lot when I was little. It's been so long."

Naruto was a little thrown off by this statement. He was still having a hard time dealing with things like that. Having someone bring up memories that hadn't happened yet was a bit disconcerting. But he was getting used to it. They shared too much for him not to feel comfortable around the young girl. Faking shock at the thought of going somewhere else for ramen, he replied.

"Where else would we go? Of course we're going to Ichiraku! I wouldn't think of eating anywhere else! Ichiraku is a tradition. I would no sooner eat anywhere else that I would give up on being Hokage!"

Hinata smiled at them as they stopped outside the door to the meeting place, shaking her head at the two. They were so much alike, it was almost scary. They both were so enthusiastic about almost everything. They took a few minutes to steel themselves for the encounter they were about to have, before entering.

Hiashi was seated and waiting for them, his face unreadable as they approached, all three bowing as they greeted the head of the Hyuuga clan. The two girls sat down, facing Hinata's father, while Naruto removed the scroll from his back before joining them. Hiashi eyed the trio before him, his curiosity well concealed as his gaze moved over them.

"Naruto Uzumaki, Daughter. What is it you wished to speak to me about?"

Hinata spoke up as she meet her father's gaze, barely managing to keep from flinching back. Some habits were so ingrained it was difficult to suppress them, and Hinata was sure she would be dealing with that one for years to come.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with us father. I assume you have read the report the Hokage has given you?

Hiashi nodded in reply to his daughter's question. He had been slightly surprised when he received a report from Tsunade, marked as an S-class secret, but not as much as what was contained within.

"I have. I find the concept of time travel rather farfetched, but as it has been confirmed by the Interrogation unit, I am forced to accept it as reality. But what does this have to do with our family?"

Hinata glanced quickly at Naruto as she prepared to reply, and he gave her a small smile, encouraging her.

"That is what we wished to discuss. This is Ayame. She is the one who appeared in the Hokage's office, and is connected to Naruto and our family."

Hiashi waited, his question unspoken. Naruto, seeing Hinata struggling to answer as her face turned bright red, spoke up himself.

"She is my daughter Lord Hiashi. As well as Hinata's."

Hiashi's eyes widened as Naruto spoke, his face showing shock. Ayame, taking this as her cue, removed her sunglasses, her eyes meeting his as she smirked at him.

"Hello Grandfather."

The silence was deafening as the two met gazes for the first time. It was several minutes before Hiashi had composed himself enough to speak, directing a few questions at the young girl.

"I see. You have the Byakugan. Do you possess full control over it?"

Ayame activated her dojutsu in with a burst of chakra, leaving her hands at her sides. Hiashi, startled at such a display of control, nodded thoughtfully.

"I'll take that as a yes. That is excellent chakra control for someone your age. I believe Neji was the last one to be able to activate his eyes without a hand seal that young."

"Thank you grandfather. Chakra control was one of the few things I could practice while I was younger, because we were constantly being attacked. Though I still have problems with fine amounts. It's easier for me to perform with larger amounts of chakra."

Naruto, his decorum momentarily forgotten, burst out laughing at this statement.

"Hey, just like me! You must have some massive chakra reserves if you have that problem."

Hiashi shot the young man an annoyed glance, before speaking again.

"She has much potential that is true. However, the Elders will push to have the seal applied-"

Ayame and Naruto's expressions immediately hardened at his words, before Naruto cut him off, the anger behind the single syllable palpable.

"No."

"You have no choice Naruto."

"There's always a choice. Just because-"

Naruto launched himself into a heated argument with her father as Hinata sat, allowing the blonde shinobi to take the lead. She still had a hard time facing her father. No matter how many times she told herself he had changed, she still saw the harsh taskmaster he had been while she was young, impossible to please, easy to disappoint. It was so much easier to allow someone else to speak. Her focus switched between the two men as she listened to the discussion, before something else caught her eye. Ayame was staring at the ground in front of her, her expression one of fear. The girl's hands were in front of her, the fingers of each pressing against each other in a familiar movement. That simple gesture finally caused the reality of the situation to slam home.

This was her daughter too. Why was she sitting back and allowing Naruto to fight this battle alone? This girl was her own blood! Naruto was fighting to protect Ayame from the horrible fate that lay before her. This was as much her battle as his, and she was cowering behind him. If she could step forward against Pain, she could speak up for Ayame's sake. Determination flashing in her pale eyes, She cut the argument off, meeting her father's gaze as she did so, barely stammering as she spoke.

"I-I agree with Naruto, I will not stand by and allow this to happen. Ayame is my daughter Father. As such, she is my heir, and must not be marked. The elders do not dare turn their backs on their own traditions."

Hiashi shook his head as she spoke, though he seemed pleased that she had spoken up.

"The elders will not accept that. The circumstances surrounding her appearance cannot be shared, so as far as they will be concerned, she is nothing but a clan less child who somehow obtained our bloodline. I admire what you and Naruto are trying to do, but there is no choice. Only if Ayame was a member of another clan would she be untouchable."

Ayame spoke up at this, barely able to keep her voice down as she replied.

"I'm an Uzumaki, and I always will be. Don't you dare call me clanless."

"The Uzumaki clan was destroyed when Whirlpool country fell to Iwa child. Naruto is the only remaining member, and without the backing of three other clans, it cannot be reestablished here in Konoha."

Naruto spoke up, quietly hopeful as he listened to Hinata's father speak. This was not what he expected. Hiashi was almost being helpful.

"I already have the backing. As of this morning the Uzumaki are recognized as a clan of Konoha. Hinata and I had half expected to need to resort to this, so I made the arrangements. If anyone questions it, I will claim Ayame is an orphan I rescued from Kumo, and had not been able to reveal her presence until I could adopt her. As the elder's believe that there is no way Kumo could posses the Byakugan, they will have no interest in her until it is too late."

Naruto shot Hinata a questioning glance, and the young woman nodded and spoke, her hesitance forgotten.

"They will think nothing of this, and then it will be too late for them to protest without looking like fools. I may not be able to claim her as such, but she is my family. If this is the only way to protect her, then I will stand with Naruto."

Hiashi smiled slightly. His time working with Neji and his daughter had softened his harsh exterior, and he had gradually begun to make changes to how the clan was lead. The branch house was treated less and less like servants, but some things would be unable to be changed while his generation was still in power. But these two in front of him, gave him hope that it would happen sooner, rather than later.

"Very well. I will approve your claim. As clan leader, the final decision rests with me, and the elders must abide by it. But once they realize what has happened, they will not go quietly into the night. You must be vigilant."

Naruto and Hinata both exchanged shocked glances with each other and Ayame before returning their attention to Hiashi. Naruto spoke first, his determination evident as he slipped back into the formal tone that he had been using.

"If anyone is foolish enough to move against her, we will show them how big a mistake they are making. Thank you for your support Lord Hiashi. I have very little family, but I appreciate your assistance protecting them."

The Hyuuga clan head turned his gaze away from his granddaughter, who he had been examining closely, his eyes noticeably softer than usual.

"It is the least I can do for the Uzumaki. You not only opened both my nephew and my eyes so long ago, you risked your life to protect both the village and my clan. If not for your actions, the Hyuuga would be nearly extinct. We are honor bound to help you. While the elders may not appreciate it, they will be forced to abide by that sentiment, at least publicly."

The three youths stood and bowed once again, smiling broadly as he spoke these words. Ayame and Naruto made their way out of the room, while Hinata hung back momentarily. Once they were alone, the indigo haired girl addressed Hiashi, her expression thankful. The meeting had gone better than she expected.

"Thank you father. I know the difficulty you will face with the elders."

"They are old and closed minded. I will deal with them. It may have taken years for me to see it, but the fissure the seal causes between the two sides of our family is our greatest weakness. I fear that they will never break free of their mindset, but I see the potential to overcome that in you and your associates."

Pausing for a moment, Hiashi spoke again as her father, and not clan head.

"He is a kind hearted and powerful shinobi daughter. I once agreed with the elders that he was a menace, but his actions over the years have force me to reevaluate my opinion. This only strengthens that view. Anyone who places such value on family and friends, is worthy of our support. Your choice of…friends, shows good judgment on your part."

Hinata smiled once again, her face happy, if a bit flushed at his insinuation. He knew how she felt about Naruto for quite some time, and now he was tacitly giving his approval.

"That is who he is. Naruto never gives up, and never turns his back on his precious people. He will be a great Hokage someday. I know it."

Hiashi nodded slowly as she left, deep in thought. Naruto was well respected throughout the village as a hero. He did not hesitate to do what he considered right, and he loved Konoha. There were few better qualifications for a Hokage than those.

'I believe he will be."

* * *

A/N Big thanks to my beta gman391. He's been a huge help hashing out major plot details and helping keep people mostly in character. Reviews help keep me motivated so keep em coming! And for those Naru/Hina people out there, be sure to check out The Hyuuga's Hound by Solvdrage, which I recently started betaing.


	5. Preparations & Encounters

"We have reason to believe that our enemies are building up their forces."

The silence in the briefing room could not have gotten any deeper. Not one of those present made a sound as they listened to the words of the Hokage. The members of the ANBU black ops were not known to be prone to conversation, though the sudden tension that appeared in each member spoke volumes of their frame of mind.

"Intelligence has been brought to my attention that there may be more behind the thefts of so many village resources than simple bandits. Despite our efforts to provide escorts to these shipments, there are too many to cover them all. Our own resources are stretched thin from the reconstruction, and even if they weren't, there are some lands where we are simply not welcome. Something is not right."

Tsunade slowly turned in place, taking in the room around her. She stood in the center of the briefing room, rows of seats lining the circumference, giving the impression that she was standing in the center of a bowl, the ranks of ANBU agents surrounding her on all sides. Each agent had their attention riveted to their leader, their expressions hidden behind their masks as she spoke.

"Because of this, I am issuing new standing orders to each of you."

If anything, the members of Konoha's elite sat straighter as they waited for her to continue. New standing orders were unusual. These wouldn't just pertain to their next mission. They would be in effect until further notice. This intelligence had to have come from a trusted source as well as being confirmed by other means for standing orders to be issued.

"Prepare."

There was a bit of rustling around the room as each member took in this order. What did she mean prepare? The ANBU are the elite, each the best in their respective skills. Why would they need to prepare?

"Yes, you are the elite. You were handpicked because of your skill, because of your dedication. But that does not mean you are infallible."

The last sentence was stated as fact, not as a questioning of their abilities. Each member knew this. No matter how skilled, they were still human. They wouldn't be ANBU if they thought otherwise.

"It may be six months from now. It may be six years. But we will be attacked, and you must be ready. A dull scalpel is of no use to a surgeon. For the same reason, I need you sharp. You are my scalpel. You are the ones who will strike the enemy before fading into the shadow. You are my eyes and ears. I will continue issuing you missions, but each of you will keep your ear to the ground. I want information. Any hint of activity by our enemies, be they from the other villages, from criminal organizations such as the Akatsuki, even simple bandit activity, will be investigated. The smallest clue could prove instrumental to preventing catastrophe. You have your orders. Dismissed."

At that word, each member stood and bowed to the Hokage before vanishing in a whirlwind of leaves. Tsunade smirked as she walked from the room. The ANBU would do their job. They wouldn't take her orders personally. Even as she thought this, she knew those who didn't have missions would already be stepping up their training. A threat to the village had been identified, and they wouldn't take it lightly. Walking back to her office, two more figures stepped up beside her.

"What threat are you talking about, Lady Tsunade? None of the intelligence reports we have received show any imminent threat."

Tsunade glanced to each side, seeing the faces of her adopted niece and assistant as well as the familiar pink hair of her student, Sakura. Reaching her office, she sat down as the two stood in front of her desk.

"Those aren't the only reports I receive, Shizune. I can't share my source with you, but there is a threat. Now, let's hear the report."

Sakura nodded and stepped forward before she began reading off the clipboard she was holding.

"The merchants have reported another shipment lost on its way here from Kiri. It appears to be another bandit attack. The evidence provided supports it, though the attack took place outside our borders, so we were unable to investigate on scene. Preparations for the Chuunin exams are on schedule, and Lord Gaara sends his regards. The current contingent scheduled to participate is made up of four genin teams, including Ebisu's team."

Tsunade smiled at this. She was sure Konohamaru was bouncing off the walls in excitement when his team was nominated to participate, especially after the bad luck his team had had the previous exams.

"Good, send the final roster to Suna for processing. The rest of the prospective teams will have to wait for the next exam." Reaching into a drawer, she removed several scrolls and handed them to Sakura. "Send these out as well. Certain villages aren't doing a good enough job patrolling their portions of the trade routes, and I'm not standing for it anymore. I don't care if they don't like us; unless they want me to appeal directly to their Daimyos, they need to uphold their part of the trade agreements. Now then, is there any local business?"

Sakura frowned as she read the next entry. She had been out of the village for about a month and had just returned a few days ago. Shaking her head, she looked up at Tsunade, a questioning look on her face.

"This doesn't make sense. This is a petition from the Hyuuga clan elders that Ayame Uzumaki be removed as a member of her clan and turned over to them. Uzumaki? I thought Naruto was the only one with that family name. What did that dummy do this time?"

"Ayame is new to the village. She is an orphan that Naruto brought back from Kumo sometime ago, and due to her…abilities, we were unable to make her existence public until just after you had left on your last mission. When the Hyuuga showed no interest in taking her in, Naruto adopted the girl, and named her a member of the Uzumaki."

Sakura looked a bit shocked at this news. Naruto had adopted an orphan, and a girl at that? What was going on?

"Adopted? Why would Naruto do that?"

Shizune spoke up, filling the younger kunoichi in on what had happened as far as she knew.

"I guess Naruto and the girl became quite close during the mission when he rescued her. Naruto formally reestablished the Uzumaki as a clan, and the first thing he did was adopt her. It's kind of cute. He treats her like a daughter."

Tsunade nodded, catching Sakura's eyes as she spoke. The cover story Naruto had come up with had been widely accepted. Even the Hyuuga clan elders had thought nothing of it until word of Ayame's abilities had reached them.

"Ayame is a good kid, and Naruto was incredibly kind to take her in like that. You should meet her. Naruto and Hinata are usually working on training her at the training ground near the heroes' monument. Go say hello when we are finished here. I'm sure they will be happy to see you after so long, Sakura. Send a note to the elders that meddling with another clan's members will not be tolerated." Tsunade paused as inspiration struck and a feral grin spread across her face. "And send a copy of their request and our reply to each of the other clans as well. I'm sure they would like to know what the Hyuuga elders are trying to pull. Now then, these budget reports- "

The pink haired teen nodded thoughtfully before she continued on. What would possess Naruto to adopt a rescued orphan? They had brought back several from different missions before, and he hadn't shown any interest in adopting any of them. What was so special about this girl that he would go to the trouble? A small smile blossomed across her face. _This ought to be interesting._

* * *

"Ooof!"

With a crash, a tall blond figure slammed into a tree before exploding into a cloud of smoke.

"That was close, Ayame. You need to focus on your control a bit more. You have the form right, but you're putting too much power into it. You may have a lot of chakra to spare, but you shouldn't overpower your attacks so much."

Ayame straightened up, two lion shaped shrouds of chakra around her hands fading from existence as she did so. Breathing heavily, she looked up at the woman standing to one side, a petulant look on her face.

"Won't it do more damage if I put more power into it? I mean, I sent that clone straight into a tree!"

Hinata shook her head, speaking quietly as she did so.

"Some techniques work that way, but this isn't one of them. If you overpower it too much, the shrouds won't form correctly and you run the risk of it back lashing. It's meant to be a harder hitting technique, but it is still based off of the Gentle Fist, so it's more about precision than brute force. The chakra you hit that clone with should have disrupted it immediately instead of throwing it back. When you hit a normal person with it, it should stun them for a few moments."

Ayame nodded. Almost all of Hinata's techniques were like that. They were precise and deadly, and she was excited to be able to learn them. But she had to admit she liked what Naruto was teaching her better. Those techniques were flashier, and the damage from them was so more satisfying to see. Plus, the first one he had shown her made the training proceed much more quickly. Sighing, she leaned forward and pulled her arms to her sides, forearms out and up.

"Ok. Let me try it again."

Hinata smiled at Ayame as she began forming the Twin Lion Fists again. Watching with her Byakugan active, she nodded approvingly as the girl finished forming the shrouds. Walking forward a bit, she stopped beside an exact duplicate of the young girl, taking a moment to correct the shadow clone's form before allowing it to go back to sparring with another. Finished, she split away from the three clones that she had been working with and walked toward where Naruto was working with another pair of Ayames. Stopping beside him, she smiled as she watched the two blonde girls each struggle with a water balloon. The young girl was a hard worker, and once Naruto had taught her his signature jutsu, her progress was astounding. Seeing her standing beside him, his smile grew even wider, and before she could react he had thrown an arm around her shoulders.

"I never thought teaching would be so much fun, Hinata! Ayame's doing great! But what would you expect with two amazing senseis like us?"

Hinata wasn't really paying attention to what he was saying. She was focusing more on the fact that he had put his arm around her, and pulled her into a sideways hug. Her face was bright red, but she wasn't fighting what he was doing. After all, she did want it. Since their encounter a month before Ayame's arrival, she had grown more comfortable around the spiky haired blonde, and his spontaneous displays didn't faze her as much anymore. He just got excited and didn't realize what he was doing until he was already done doing it. Though, if he kept squeezing her like this, she might just pop.

"She is doing well, Naruto, b-but could you let go of me, please?"

The tall young man started before releasing her, his face momentarily matching hers as he apologized with a sheepish grin on his face.

"Sorry, Hinata. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Hinata shook her head, giggling a bit as she spoke without thinking about what she was about to say.

"No, you didn't, but I think you should buy me dinner if you're going to keep squeezing me like that."

Once the words had left her mouth, so much blood rushed to Hinata's face that she looked like a beet, and she was sure he could feel the heat radiating from her face. She managed to keep from clamping her hands across her mouth, but only just. _Oh my god, did I just say that out loud?_

Naruto, to his credit, looked almost as embarrassed as she did, while the twin doppelgangers sitting on the ground nearby both stopped struggling with their water balloons long enough to smirk at the pair of older shinobi, giggling quietly.

"What's so funny, Ayame? Don't laugh at Hinata like that!"

One of the clones threw its water balloon at Naruto, drenching him when it caught him across the face and burst. Laughing as she picked up another balloon from a bag on the ground next to her, Ayame winked at Hinata as she sat back down and began working again.

"I'm not laughing at her. I just don't remember much about how you acted around each other when I was little, and this is just too cute for me to handle!"

This comment immediately caused both Hinata and Naruto's blushes to refresh themselves and they began dueling each other to see who could turn a deeper red, until Naruto finally managed to open his mouth and begin to say something. Of course, it was at this exact moment that a certain pink haired kunoichi decided to make her appearance.

A scowl immediately appeared on her face as Sakura saw Hinata's expression. Not bothering to get the full story, Sakura went with her usual plan of action and hit Naruto on the top of the head, berating him as she did so.

"What did you do to Hinata, dummy? Here I came to see you after being out of the village for so long, and you're embarrassing her. What's wrong with you?"

Ayame couldn't keep her laughter in check anymore. Seeing the blonde haired jonin laying in a pile on the ground, nursing a lump on his head while Sakura was yelling at him was too much. Dropping the balloons they were holding, both clones burst out laughing, holding their sides as they fell back onto the grass they were sitting on.

The pink haired medic did not take this display of mirth well. Her eyebrow twitched and a vein stood out on her forehead as she glared at the two clones, growling at the girls.

"I don't see what's so funny."

The clones both sat up, struggling to catch their breath, tears running down their faces. Figuring they were done for the day, all but one of the duplicates dissipated, leaving the real Ayame sitting on the ground in front of the three shinobi. Wiping her face, a grin spread across it as the young girl stood up and walked closer.

"I just think it's funny that you're getting mad at Naruto-sensei when Hinata-sensei is just as much to blame."

Sakura paused for a moment to look at the face of her Hyuuga friend. She was just as red as before, but a small smile confirmed what the young blonde girl had just said. Shocked, but too embarrassed to say anything more on the subject, she turned her attention away from Naruto, and focused more on the young blond girl standing before her. The resemblance between this girl and Sakura's teammate was scary. If she hadn't been told otherwise, she would swear they had to be related. Looking over the girl, her gaze paused on the strange crest sewn onto the shoulder of her shirt before coming to rest on her eyes. Trying not to let the sight of the girl's Byakugan startle her, she smiled at the young girl.

"You must be Ayame. Lady Tsunade and Shizune told me about you."

"And Naruto told me all about you, Sakura! It's nice to meet you! But you really shouldn't have hit him like that. It's not his fault your dirty mind jumped to the wrong conclusion…"

At that exact instant, a water balloon dropped out of the tree they were standing under and burst on top of Sakura's head. Letting out a small shriek, the soaking wet medic looked up into the eyes of a cheekily smiling duplicate of the girl standing in front of her, which gave a small laugh and waved before it disappeared in a cloud of smoke. _Dear god, there is two of them now._

Hinata and Naruto had gotten over their embarrassment enough that both were enjoying the show, the Hyuuga girl having a hard time hiding the fit of giggles that had hit her, while Naruto ran forward and high fived the young girl.

"That was awesome, Ayame! Your pranking skills have come far, my young apprentice."

Both Naruto and Ayame froze as they suddenly felt a massive surge of killing intent wash over them. Slowly turning, the pair's faces suddenly turned white as they caught sight of the pink haired woman's expression, both of their voices overlapping.

"Oh shit."

"NAR-U-TO! I'm going to KILL YOU BOTH!"

Naruto spoke quickly to Ayame, his nervousness plain as he talked.

"Um, Ayame, I think this is a good time to work on evasion. You'll have to catch us both first, Sakura!"

With that, Naruto took off like a shot, dumping newly formed shadow clones behind him as he disappeared into the forest, cackling like a madman the entire way. Ayame took several steps back, nervously pushing her fingers together, unsure what to do. Unfortunately, she backed into a tree, and was trapped with an enraged pink banshee coming at her. She almost reacted too late, but quickly forming a series of five seals with her hands just in time.

Sakura's hand closed around the young girl's arm with an unholy amount of force, until with a poof her form was replaced with one of the clones Naruto had created, a surprised look on its face. Ayame reappeared, standing in the branches of a nearby tree, her hands held up in front of her in a placating gesture.

"Come on, Sakura, can't we talk about this? It was just a jo-EEEP!"

Ayame threw herself aside as several senbon needles imbedded themselves into the tree behind her in an attempt to pin the girl down.

"Ok, I guess not."

Shrugging her shoulders, Ayame took off into the trees after Naruto, an angry Sakura close behind.

* * *

The two of them led the pink haired teen on a merry chase through most of the forest, but eventually they ended back up at their starting point. Naruto was once again nursing a giant lump on his head, while Ayame was sitting on the ground, rubbing the feeling back into her arms and legs. Unfortunately, she had been unable to keep away from the angry kunoichi for very long and had ended up with her hands and feet tied together before being dumped back where Hinata was waiting for them, an amused expression on the blue haired teen's face. Hinata cut the blonde girl free, and they sat back and waited for the others to return.

Approximately twenty minutes later, Sakura stomped back into the training ground with a limp body slung over one shoulder. Dumping him on the ground next to Ayame, the medic moved over and sat down next to Hinata, smiling as if nothing had happened.

"So, Hinata, what have you been up to? I haven't seen everyone since I left on my last mission."

Hinata looked down at the ground and blushed a bit before replying.

"Just training with Naruto. Neither of us have had a mission for a while, so we have just been staying busy, and after he adopted Ayame, I've been helping teach her. Neither of us think we are ready for a full genin team, so we've been working together to train her and get a bit of teaching experience."

"Yeah, I suppose that dummy wouldn't know the first thing about teaching her how to use her eyes."

Sakura nervously glanced at the young girl sitting on the other side of Hinata, obviously curious about her. The two other girls scowled at her before Ayame spoke up, defending his teaching ability.

"Hey, Naruto-sensei has taught me lots of great stuff. I wouldn't have been able to hit you with that balloon without Shadow Clones. Just that jutsu helps my training go a lot faster."

"I can't believe he taught a genin that kinjutsu. Again. Ebisu nearly burst a vessel when he found out who taught Konohamaru that."

Naruto groaned and sat up, finally awake. Shooting a glare at Sakura as he rubbed his head, he spoke up.

"They both have the chakra to handle it. I wouldn't have taught either of them if they didn't. And Ayame's not a genin. Yet anyway."

The blood vessel reappeared on Sakura's forehead and her hand started to raise up to hit the young man again.

"YOU TAUGHT AN ACADEMY STUDENT THAT! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?"

Before the blow could fall, Hinata spoke up, scowling again, her voice quiet as she defended Naruto.

"There wasn't enough time for her to learn everything before the next class graduates, so it made it a lot easier to get her up to speed. She already had chakra control mostly mastered, so we just had to teach her the rest. She can handle it, and we are always with her when she trains with it."

"Yeah, if I'm going to be a genin in a couple of months, I need every advantage I can. Besides, they both watch me like a hawk all the time."

Ayame glared a bit at Naruto. She hated being watched like that, but it was for her own good, and she had some pretty powerful enemies in the village right now. So she didn't get to angry about it. But she didn't have to like it. Naruto stuck his tongue out at her, laughing a bit at the look she was giving him.

"You know why we have to do that. Now, I think I owe Hinata some dinner, so let's go get some ramen!"

Sakura groaned at this announcement, protesting this suggestion.

"Does it have to be ramen?"

Ayame and Naruto both looked outraged at this question. Seeing their reaction, Sakura turned toward Hinata, hoping the other girl would support her. Unfortunately, Hinata shook her head, a smile on her face.

"We promised Ayame we would go to Ichiraku today. We were supposed to go weeks ago, but we haven't been able to because of some…issues."

All three of them scowled at this. Because they couldn't risk the elders discovering Ayame had the Byakugan until her induction into the Uzumaki had gone through, she had been kept out of public view until the paperwork was finalized. Thankfully, the small house Naruto had rented on the outskirts of the village was private enough they had been able to begin her training while they waited. Sakura sighed, but gave in.

"Fine. You two go on ahead; I want to talk to Naruto first."

Ayame and Hinata glanced at Naruto, who nodded at them with a smile, and then turned and began slowly walking toward the ramen stand. Once they were out of earshot, Sakura rounded on her old teammate, her curiosity plain on her face.

"Ok, Naruto, what's the deal? Why did you adopt that girl? Surely there were better families available to take care of her."

Naruto shot her a dirty look at this question.

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, Sakura. I don't think I'm that bad."

Sakura blushed, embarrassed at her tactlessness.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it that way. But you're a single male shinobi. Not exactly the best caretaker."

"Hinata's been helping out a lot! She helps Ayame with her…girl things, and I do most of the rest. Besides, Ayame is special to me."

"Why? Tsunade said she's an orphan you rescued from Kumo, and I understand why you would take an interest in her because of that, but to go so far as to adopt her seems kind of… strange. "

Naruto was sweating a bit. They had set up Ayame's cover story rather quickly, and it was very detailed, but he hadn't been questioned much about it other than the basics. This was going to be difficult.

"Well…she never knew her parents either, and she was kind of an outcast after they, you know…"

With this he made a motion to his eyes, his meaning obvious. Sakura blanched. She had hoped there was some other explanation besides implantation.

"So I kind of know how she feels. She does a good job hiding her feelings, but I can tell she still has issues about what happened. She wakes up screaming a lot."

Taking a deep breath, Naruto relaxed a bit. That covered almost every angle he could think of. Sakura was a gossip queen, so he had to get every detail right. Ino and the rest would know the whole story by tomorrow.

"She was hurt when I got her out of there, so we had to hide for a while, and I got to know her. After that, I couldn't stand the thought of the Hyuuga branding her, so I did the only thing I could. She doesn't like to talk about her past, so please don't ask. And I know you're going to tell Ino and the rest all this, so that goes for them, too."

Sakura flinched a bit, but didn't deny what he had said. Nodding, she leaned forward and gave him a hug, a sneaky expression appearing on her face when he couldn't see.

"Ok, Naruto. We won't ask. But I will say it's really sweet of you to take her in like that. But what was that I heard about you owing Hinata dinner?"

Naruto coughed at the sudden change in topic, his face turning bright red. Sakura couldn't help but grin as she saw the look on his face, and his silence only confirmed her thoughts.

"You don't have to say anything. Let's go, Hinata and Ayame are waiting for us."

Leaving a sputtering Naruto behind, Sakura took off after Hinata and Ayame before he could see the tinge of sadness seep into her expression. _Why couldn't Sasuke have been more like him?_

* * *

As Hinata and Ayame walked slowly down the street, waiting for Naruto and Sakura to catch up, Hinata couldn't help but worry. What did Sakura want to talk to Naruto about? Ayame was the obvious answer. But no matter how much that made sense, she couldn't help but remember how he had always been asking Sakura for a date when they were in the academy. It worried her. Hinata had spent a lot of time with him recently, training together, and then training Ayame. He was aware of how she felt, and he chose to spend time with her. So why was she so worried about the pink haired medic?_ Because I'm afraid I'm not good enough._ Sakura was the Hokage's student, and Hinata wasn't. Sakura wasn't afraid to speak her mind, and while the indigo haired Hyuuga had made great strides in improving in that area, she still tended to keep to herself. She had been his teammate, while Hinata had only watched him from the sidelines.

Looking at Ayame, though, knocked her insecurities on their back. _Ayame is Naruto and I's daughter. Something has to be there for that to have happened. So stop it! He likes you, or he wouldn't have spent so much time with you. Stop asking what ifs and think about what did happen. _Shaking her head, Hinata smiled a bit as she remembered the way he had thrown his arm around her. He was comfortable around her, at least when they both weren't embarrassing each other. The thought reassured her, though there was still a niggling little voice in the back of her mind, preying on her insecurities. It just wasn't screaming at her anymore.

Sakura and Naruto caught up with the other two several blocks away from their destination, and they went the rest of the way as a group. They walked slowly, enjoying the cool afternoon breeze. Unfortunately, their enjoyment was broken when they crossed paths with a pair of main branch Hyuuga elders just outside Ichiraku. The two were glaring daggers at Ayame and Naruto, not bothering to mask their hatred. Before Naruto or Ayame could react, Hinata stepped forward and greeted the two, much to the surprise of everyone present.

"Greetings, esteemed Elders, it is good to see you. Is there a problem?"

The two turned their eyes on the much younger Hyuuga, not bothering to address her properly.

"You would do well to reevaluate your choice of friends, girl. You disgrace your name by associating with-"

The moment she had seen their blatant hatred, something inside the much younger Hyuuga snapped. Naruto had saved the village. They owed him their lives, and they had the audacity to let their pride wash everything he had done for them from their minds. The fact that these were clan elders, and one of them was the last Clan Head, was the farthest thing from her mind as she cut them off, channeling her fury into her words.

"With the clan that has been one of Konoha's oldest allies? With all due respect, Grandfather, my choice in associates is my business, and I have done nothing that does not reflect well on our family, unlike your blatantly insulting a clan head. Now if you don't mind, I believe our seats have opened. Good day, esteemed Elders."

Bowing slightly, Hinata quickly turned and stepped into the ramen stand and sat down. Outside, everyone was staring after the teenager, shock etched onto not just the elder's faces, but onto the faces of everyone in the area. Hinata had just told off her own grandfather. Publicly. The two elders turned bright red as soon as they realized the import of what just happened, before they hurried back toward the Hyuuga compound. Sakura and Naruto just stared at each other, their mouths hanging open, the same thought running through each of their heads. _What the hell?_

Shaking it off, the trio followed her into the stand, Naruto sitting down on one side of Hinata, Sakura on the other. Ayame, sitting on the other side of Naruto, spoke up first, obviously proud of what her sensei had just done.

"That was great! You put those morons in their place M-Uh, Hinata!"

Naruto and Sakura, who were both focused on Ayame as she spoke, turned to see Hinata's reaction. Her face was bright red, her breath coming in short gasps as she sat shaking in her seat. The two teens on each side immediately began trying to calm her down as she spoke, her words coming in short bursts between each gasp.

"I…can't believe… I just… did that… What was… I thinking?"

"Calm down, Hinata, deep breaths. Remember what happened the last time you started breathing like this."

Naruto was sitting next to her, a worried look on his face as he braced to catch her if she did pass out. Sakura was doing the same on the other side, her face angry as she replied to the girl's question.

"They insulted your friends and one of the village's clans. They shamed themselves, and you called them on it. You didn't do anything wrong."

Sakura's words, along with catching sight of the worried looks on Naruto and Ayame's faces was enough to snap her out of it, and she took one long deep breath before she leaned forward across the counter, her breath slowing down as she pressed her forehead against the cool surface. Teuchi and his daughter, who had been watched the entire scene, both inside and out of their restaurant, took the opportunity to show their support. Teuchi spoke up while his daughter reached forward and patted Hinata on the back, comforting her.

"Your friends are right, Hinata. They were completely out of line. If Naruto wanted to, he could lodge a formal complaint against them, and they wouldn't be able to deny it. The damage from this could be huge. If need be, we will back you up."

Teuchi's daughter spoke up, agreeing with her father.

"Of course! Anything for Naruto's friends! You defended your friends, Hinata. That's nothing to be ashamed of."

Hinata slowly sat up, face still red, shaking slightly and gasping a bit, though not in danger of passing out anymore.

"I know you're right Ayame...But they won't think that way... This could cause all kinds of trouble...and not just for me. "

With this she looked at Naruto, an apologetic expression on her face. The spiky haired blonde gave her a smile that slowly switched to worry.

"Don't worry about it, Hinata. I can handle anything they throw at us. I'd be more worried about what they might do to you."

Hinata cringed at that. She definitely wasn't looking forward to returning to the compound tonight. It was going to be... uncomfortable at best. The younger Ayame caught that look and immediately scowled. _Right. Not gonna happen. _Clearing her throat, she spoke up, motioning toward Naruto with a hand.

"Why don't you spend the night with us, Hinata-sensei? I need someone to talk to besides him, and it would be nice to spend some more time with you. "

Naruto scowled at the girl, but stilled his face and nodded and before Hinata could see it. He knew that the elders could make things bad for Hinata, and the best way to fix it was get her out of there until the elders cooled off. He really didn't want to try handling girl talk again anyway.

Sakura and the brown haired waitress didn't look very thrilled with the suggestion, however. Sakura, of course, immediately protested, Teuchi's daughter agreeing with her.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea Naruto? Her family might view that the wrong way, especially considering your past…escapades."

"She's right. We know you have changed, but I still remember that one time when you tried to get out of paying your bill by-"

Naruto's scowl returned as he cut her off to defend himself, glaring at the Ayame standing across the counter from him.

"Hey, I'm not like Kakashi or Ero-sennin, and I haven't tried to pull something like that in years. Nothing even happened that time with Shion, damn it!"

Hinata and both Ayames suddenly seemed very interested as Teuchi stopped Naruto there, a devious smile on his face.

"Wait a minute, Naruto; who's Shion?"

The boy's face suddenly turned bright red, and he glanced nervously at Sakura as the pink haired shinobi answered for him, her amusement plain on her face as she explained.

"Someone we had a mission to protect a while back. Naruto was just being stupid and didn't think about what being asked to help produce an heir meant."

Doing his best to ignore the amused looks that Teuchi and his daughter were giving him, as well as Hinata's beet red face, Naruto got the conversation back on subject.

"Anyway, I would never try and pull anything like that. Especially not on Hinata! I'll just sleep on the couch and the girls can have the bedrooms."

Ayame smiled, happy with this suggestion. Looking across at Sakura, she spoke, her face obviously telling the pink haired girl to shut up.

"I need someone who isn't a guy to talk to, and Hinata is my teacher. I like talking to her. Besides, we are both capable of putting him in his place if we have to."

Sakura still looked unsure but relented, smiling as she talked.

"Fine. But I'm coming along too, that way they won't have a reason to complain. And I haven't had a girl's night in a long time! It'll be fun!"

Teuchi cracked a smile at this before leaning in making a comment to Naruto, his eyes flicking between the two young women as he gazed at the young man conspiratorially.

"So, instead of one beautiful girl staying at your house, now you got two. Way to go, stud, Jiraiya would be proud!"

The ramen chef briefly left the waking world as three separate fists crashed into his head as Sakura and both Ayames took offense to that particular remark. Naruto groaned.

"Aw, man, whose going to make my ramen?"

As Naruto leaned over the counter, hoping Teuchi would wake up soon, the blond haired trainee rolled her eyes before focusing on the brown haired waitress. Curious, she addressed her while Naruto tried to wake up Teuchi and Sakura worked on calming Hinata down some more.

"So your name's Ayame? How do you know my senseis?"

The waitress glanced down at the young girl sitting beside Naruto, a small smile on her face.

"Oh, I don't think I've seen you before. Yes that's my name. Naruto is one of our favorite customers! He has been eating here for years, and Hinata has been coming with him every so often for a while now. What's your name?"

The seated girl looked down at the counter, suddenly shy. _So that's where my name came from!_ She knew Teuchi had a daughter, but she had moved away to start her own restaurant in Suna before Ayame was born. It wasn't all that suprising, considering the amount of time Naruto spent here.

"Um, my name is Ayame Uzumaki."

The smile on the waitress's face grew even wider at this news, and she reached over and smacked Naruto upside the head.

"When did you find out you had a sister, Naruto? And why didn't you tell us!"

Naruto looked over at the young girl sitting next to him before looking up at Teuchi's daughter, his expression a bit embarrassed.

"I still don't. I met Ayame during a mission and rescued her. When we finally got back here, none of the other families were interested in adopting her, so I reestablished my clan and did it myself. So, I guess she is kind of my daughter."

Both Ayame and Teuchi, who was nursing two soon to be black eyes and a large, painful looking lump, gave Naruto a long hard look from their side of the counter, before they both laughed and gave him a big smile. Teuchi smiled as he laid their orders down in front of each of them.

"That's great, Naruto! We're proud of you for taking in someone who lost everything. Eat up; this one is on the house to welcome your new family."

The rest of their meal was fairly pleasant as they shared the company of friends and enjoyed good food. It was well after dark before the group departed, thanking Teuchi and his daughter for the food and their encouragement.

As the four slowly began making their way toward Naruto and Ayame's home, they let the calm of the night settle comfortably around them. As they walked, Naruto looked at the people walking to either side. Sakura was eyeing the other two girls, obviously thinking about something. Her presence was a source of great confusion for Naruto. He had always had a thing for his pink haired teammate. In the academy, and even afterward he would have given anything to spend more time with her outside of missions or training. But now, he wasn't so sure. When he looked at her, he couldn't help but think about a certain stuck up bastard who had become almost a brother to him. It was painful. Almost as much as it had to be for Sakura. She was a constant reminder that he had failed to keep a promise, and it tore him up inside.

On the other hand, as he glanced at the other two walking with them, he couldn't help but smile. Hinata looked relieved to have an excuse to stay away from the clan compound and give the elders time to cool off. But she also seemed…happy, much like Ayame, who was very excited to have some more time with Hinata, even if Sakura was along for the ride. Naruto was happy just to enjoy their company. Their almost constant presence was reassuring to the young man who had lived alone for most of his childhood. Putting his hands up behind his head as they walked, the whisker marked shinobi looked up into the starry night sky and let out a small, contented sigh._ I could get used to this._

* * *

A/N: Many thanks to my betas Gman391 and Bookworm702. They have helped me so much, offering suggestions and advice, as well has helping me layout the groundwork for the rest of the story. Reviews are always appreciated and keep me motivated, and I will try and answer any questions that you have to don't involve major spoilers!

Next chapter: _Challenges_


	6. Challenges

It had been a long, exhausting few months, both mentally and physically. Naruto and Hinata had been dead set on getting Ayame to genin rank, and when that particular combination of teachers said they were going to do something, they did it. Ayame had spent every second of her spare time training, using shadow clones to speed up her progress. The combination of Hinata's instruction in taijutsu and Naruto teaching her ninjutsu had created an incredible genin. While she was still nowhere near either of the two jonin's levels, both were impressed with her progress, and were not afraid to let her know it. While Hinata's quiet smile brought back many happy memories for the young girl, she enjoyed Naruto's reaction the most.

Unfortunately, the young girl was too nervous to do much more than twitch the corners of her mouth upwards as she thought about Naruto parading around the training ground with her on his shoulder, yelling at the top of his lungs about how she was going to be the best genin ever. Sitting alone in one of the Academy's class rooms, Ayame was waiting for the chuunin who would proctor her genin exam. As she waited, Ayame couldn't help but worry. Naruto had told her that it had taken him three tries to pass the exam, and even then he had only passed due to extenuating circumstances. That made her a bit nervous. Naruto was one of the best shinobi she knew, and if he had problems with it, how well would she do?

Her thoughts were cut off as the door slid open, and a figure stepped into the room, calling to her.

"Ayame? Follow me, please."

Standing up, the young girl followed him out of the door and toward the academy training grounds where another shinobi was waiting. As she walked along beside the man, she couldn't help but steal a few glances at him and was surprised to notice he was doing the same thing. He was wearing his forehead protector like Naruto always did, as well as a green flak jacket. The angry scar across the bridge of his nose seemed to be in stark contrast to the gentleness she could see in his eyes, which was only supported by the reassuring smile that spread across his face as they faced each other across the training field he had led her to.

"Ok, Ayame, my name is Iruka Umino, and I'll be proctoring your genin exam today."

Ayame gave the man a tentative smile before replying to Naruto's old teacher.

"It's nice to meet you, Iruka. Naruto and Hinata told me all about you."

Iruka's smile grew larger and laughed as he heard mention of his favorite old student.

"I'm sure you have, and I must say it's nice to finally meet you, Ayame. I was a bit surprised when I heard about you, but Naruto always was one to put himself out there for others. It's a shame that everyone's been so busy that we couldn't get together lately. Now, just because you're his family doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you."

"Ok, what do I need do?"

"Well, normally you would be part of a class when you took this exam, so we would do this as a group. But since you haven't been a part of the normal academy class, you will be the only one, so we will just go through them one after another, and Genma here will help evaluate you."

Ayame shot a glance at the other shinobi, who smirked at the young girl, a senbon hanging out of his mouth, before nodding at Iruka to continue.

"Ok, first we will start with your taijutsu. I'll spar with you for this portion. No ninjutsu, but you may activate your Byakugan for this part, ok?"

The only answer Iruka received was a brief flash of chakra and the sound of grass rustling as Ayame slipped into her stance. Any nervousness was shoved to the back of the girl's mind as she focused only on the here and now, carefully eyeing the older man across from her.

The chuunin stood there for a few seconds, waiting to see if the girl would strike first or wait. When she didn't immediately move, Iruka moved forward to attack, launching a fist toward her left shoulder. Just as he committed himself to his first strike, Ayame moved, twisting around his fist and drilling a fingertip into his forearm before he could react.

Iruka danced backward, shaking his hand as he tried to force feeling back into the now numb extremity. _Geez, Iruka, you've taught Hyuuga before, you know better than that_. He couldn't give her opportunity to strike. Shaking his head, Iruka attacked again, leading with his right instead of his left this time. The taller man's advantage when it came to reach and his better developed speed allowed him to strike and pull back before the girl could shut down anymore of his tenketsu.

Ayame was becoming more and more frustrated as he evaded all of her attacks. He obviously knew what to expect when fighting a Gentle Fist user and was reacting as such, dodging or redirecting her strikes rather than trying to completely block them as they fought their way around the field. _Damn it, I'm never going to hit this guy if I keep this up. Time to switch things up._

Iruka definitely wasn't expecting it when a jab that had been arcing for the tenketsu on his shoulder randomly morphed into a fist headed straight for his face. Only quickly throwing his head and body backwards kept the Chuunin from having to nurse a black eye for the next few days. Using the momentum to throw himself into a back flip, Iruka landed on his feet and was quickly put on the defensive as Ayame came at him with a strange combination of Gentle Fist and strikes reminiscent of Naruto's style. Mentally slamming a palm against his forehead, Iruka changed tactics as well. _I've been fighting her like she's a Hyuuga, but Hinata isn't the only one who has been training her._ The combination of the two different fighting styles was strange to see, and due to the inherent differences between them, it was difficult to predict what type of strike would come at him next.

Their match continued on for a few more minutes, before Iruka caught an opening in one of her attacks, latching his hand onto her arm and heaving her heavily to the ground. Calling an end to the match, Iruka caught his breath as Genma made a few comments, casually leaning against a nearby tree.

"Not bad, not bad. You favor the Gentle Fist style, which isn't surprising considering your abilities and teachers. Though I think the Hyuuga elders would be rather annoyed at you for combining their "perfect" style with another like that."

Ayame scowled at him when he mentioned the elders, before tapping her hand on the spiral pupil crest on her shoulder.

"I don't really care what they think. They have their own problems to deal with. Besides, I might be better at the Gentle Fist as a whole, but being able to mix it up a bit can give me an advantage. Anyone who sees these eyes are going to make assumptions, and I'd rather they be the wrong ones. I'm an Uzumaki, not a Hyuuga.

Iruka, who had finally caught his breath, agreed, smiling a bit as he did so.

"That's plain enough to see. I could see some of what looked like Naruto's style in there. Unpredictability is a powerful asset in taijutsu, one which you seemed to have learned well."

Genma nodded thoughtfully, almost impressed.

"True, and some of the changes she has made should make it easier to get off ninjutsu in the middle of a fight, though you were still fairly awkward when it came to switching between some of the more specialized stances. They leave you open, which is how Iruka managed to throw you. Work on those, and you'll have a formidable style."

Nodding, Ayame filed that information away for later as she followed the two to a throwing range. The weapons test was passed quickly. Throwing weapons were easy for the young girl, as she slammed her kunai and shuriken into the targets with precision thanks to her eyes and plenty of practice. Satisfied, her two proctors motioned for her to stop before leading her back to the academy building for the final portion of the exam. Once back inside the classroom she had been waiting in, Genma and Iruka settled down behind the desk, facing Ayame.

"This is the last portion of the exam, Ayame. Just show us three clones of yourself, and you pass."

Ayame shifted back and forth a bit, her nerves making an appearance once again as she looked at the two shinobi sitting behind the desk. She could do the clone jutsu ok, but it tended to backfire on her more often than she liked, and the clones came out… funny. She really didn't want to risk that, not with her achieving genin rank on the line. A thought struck her, and she addressed her proctors.

"Does it have to be the standard clone jutsu?"

A flash of amusement registered on Genma's face before he addressed the girl's question.

"I don't see how you could have an easier time with a different clone technique. But they all build off of the standard jutsu, so I think it's admissible."

A relieved expression blossomed across the young girl's face, before she quickly began forming seals. Iruka suddenly had a sense of déjà vu wash across him, and his hand began making its way toward his forehead before Ayame had finished the last seal. Genma, however, wasn't expecting to see the room suddenly have six more copies of the girl standing in front of him. He also wasn't expecting for one of them to pick up a chalk eraser and toss it at him. Startled, he glanced at Iruka, who had a large red mark on his forehead. Reaching down, the chuunin pulled out a leaf forehead protector and handed it to the girl, laughing as he did so.

"Leave it to Naruto to teach another student that Kinjutsu. You pass, Ayame. Congratulations."

A huge grin broke across the Ayame's face as she quickly tied the protector loosely around her neck, thanking the proctors profusely before bolting out the door, Iruka's voice drifting behind her.

"Wait up, Ayame!"

* * *

As Hinata waited outside the academy for Ayame to finish her exam, she couldn't help but fidget as she continued casting nervous glances between Naruto and the academy doors. The blond jonin was sitting on an old wooden swing, a unworried expression on his face as he waited. The young indigo haired kunoichi could only wish she possessed his confidence.

They had both put so much effort into getting the young girl ready for her exam. Ayame had been constantly training with both of them, only stopping to sleep and eat. They were all exhausted, except for Naruto, who always had an inhuman amount of stamina. But it had paid off. Now it was just seeing how well. It took all of Hinata's self control not to activate her blood-limit and see how things were going. Naruto, catching her fidgeting for the hundredth time, laughed and smiled at the girl.

"Don't worry, Hinata. Ayame's guaranteed to make genin! She's amazing!"

Naruto's proclamation brought a small smile to her face. He always had faith in the people around him. Shaking off her worry, Hinata nodded.

"You're right. I don't know why I'm so worried. If anyone could pass the genin exam on only a few months of training, she can."

"Of course! She's had us for teachers! She can't not pass!"

Naruto let go of the rope swing he was holding onto and pumped a fist in the air quickly before overbalancing and falling backwards off the swing. This prompted a giggle to escape from Hinata's lips as the blond teen sat up, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

With that the tension that had been building up in Hinata slipped away as she went back to waiting, a slight grin on her face. Of course she would pass. The leap in ability Ayame had made was astonishing, going from a barely trained 12 year old to a genin-in-training that was a force to be reckoned with. Hinata couldn't help but feel pride in the young girl's accomplishments. She had taken to Naruto and her instruction with a will; lapping up everything they were able to show her. She still had a lot to learn, but she was a willing student.

It was a few minutes later that Ayame came bursting out of the door, a familiar item tied around her neck and a huge smile on her face. That was all the encouragement Naruto needed, and he rushed up and grabbed the girl around the shoulders, hurling her into the air in excitement.

"Way to go, Ayame! I knew you could do it!"

Hinata's breath caught in her throat for a moment until Naruto deftly caught the breathless girl and set her back on the ground, her smile still glued in place. The older kunoichi moved forward and gave her student a tight hug, her smile rivaling one of Gai's.

"All your hard work paid off, Ayame. We are so proud of you!"

The young girl's smile couldn't have gotten any wider if she tried, as she gave a hasty account of her test. Listening carefully, Hinata couldn't help but share in Naruto's pride for their future daughter, as he lifted her onto his shoulders and did a repeat performance of his actions at the training ground. She had done so well. As Naruto unceremoniously dragged Hinata into the impromptu parade, his sense of pride overwhelming any thoughts of accidentally embarrassing her, she couldn't help but be a little proud of herself as well. _I helped her do it. I helped make this possible._ A few minutes later, Iruka caught up with them and invited them to dinner to celebrate, as well as to give him a chance to get to know Ayame. As they left the academy grounds, Hinata's eyes were continually drawn to the young blonde's face. The indigo haired girl couldn't keep from blushing slightly as a thought crossed her mind.

_I wonder if this is what it's like to be a parent._

* * *

A few weeks later, Ayame still couldn't help but fiddle with her newly acquired symbol of rank, like she was doing now as the three of them stood in the Hokage's office. Naruto was getting a dressing down from Iruka, with both Hinata and Tsunade looking on, an amused expression on her face.

"You can't keep sending shadow clones along on their missions, Naruto. You have your own responsibilities to take care of, and I don't think your giving them your full attention. You may still be teaching her, but Hinata is her official jonin sensei, and she is more than capable of taking care of Ayame."

Naruto looked rather sheepish and shot Hinata an apologetic glance as Iruka lectured him while Ayame and Hinata couldn't keep a smile off of their faces. Ayame rather liked the older man, and could see why Naruto considered him an older brother or even a father figure. She had greatly enjoyed talking with him at dinner after her genin exam, pumping him for information about Naruto and Hinata. Iruka had enjoyed the chance to get to know her as well, though his wallet wasn't nearly as thrilled. Feeding two ramen loving Uzumaki was rather expensive. The newly minted genin cut off her train of thought as Tsunade spoke up, glaring at Naruto before addressing the group.

"I'm sure Naruto is well aware of the problems he could cause and will be a bit more discrete in his efforts to watch out for Ayame. Now, a mission has come up, and Hinata and Naruto are the only ones available that fit the mission's needs and we need to move on this now."

Naruto perked up at this, his embarrassment forgotten. This was more like it! Hinata and Ayame, though, both looked a bit nervous.

"You will be going undercover as part of a merchant group passing through from Suna. The Kazekage and I have arranged for two of the merchants, who mostly match your descriptions, to drop out of sight in Konoha and for you to take their places. We have contacts for Hinata to disguise her eyes, and Naruto will have to temporarily dye his hair and cover the marks on his face. From Konoha, you will accompany the group to Degarashi Port in Tea Country to pick up medicinal supplies, and back to Konoha. Your mission is to determine who is stealing so many merchant shipments, and why. "

Hinata picked up on who was going on the mission first and spoke up, her nervousness growing.

"But if Naruto and I both go, who will keep an eye on Ayame? Even though my father dealt with the elders after they insulted Naruto, I don't think leaving her alone is a good idea."

Naruto and Ayame both gave each other amused glances at the mention of the aftermath of that particular incident. Hiashi had appeared at the house early the next morning, intent on collecting Hinata and bringing her home. Naruto, who had been sleeping on the couch, had promptly explained why she was staying with Ayame and that he was not happy with the Hyuuga Elders treatment of her and his family. To say that Hiashi had been displeased would be an understatement. He had apologized to the young Uzumaki, and promised to deal with the insult directly. They were unsure what he had done, but the Elders began giving Hinata and them a wide berth soon afterward.

"She will have ANBU shadowing her while you are out of the village, and I'll have her work with Shikamaru's team temporarily, so they will have experience working with others outside their teams. They won't be working on anything more than D-ranks for some time yet, so they will still be within the village."

Ayame didn't look happy about them leaving her, but didn't say anything right then. She understood that there wasn't really any choice. That, however, didn't mean she had to like it. She had finally had more time with them, and now they were leaving? Naruto looked worried about her as well, but nodded.

"Shikamaru won't let anything happen to her while she's with his team." Stopping momentarily, he shot a smile at Ayame and winked at her reassuringly.

"Just call everything troublesome, and you'll get along fine with him. So, how long is this mission going to take?"

Tsunade held up a map, tracing their route with a finger as she spoke.

"About two weeks round trip at civilian speed. Degarashi is deep in Tea Country, and since this is undercover, you won't have back up. We can't afford to get caught sending shinobi into a neighboring country without approval. So, needless to say, be careful. Don't engage the bandits unless you have no other choice. This is a fact finding mission. Find out who, find out why, and if you can, find out where they are attacking from. You leave in two days."

Hinata and Naruto both nodded and left with Ayame to begin preparing. The young genin was unusually quiet as they walked, fiddling with her forehead protector, her distress obvious. Seeing her falling behind, the two jonin slowed down to allow her to catch up. Naruto was the first to speak, laying a hand on the young girl's shoulder as he did.

"Something wrong, Ayame?"

Ayame started to say something, but cut herself off and looked around before dragging Hinata and Naruto into a nearby alley. Seeing that they were alone and she could speak freely, the blond girl latched onto Naruto, just barely keeping from breaking down in tears as she did so.

"I-I can't help but worry about what might happen. I lost you both once already, and then getting to spend time with you again just makes it worse. If what we think is happening is true, you'll be in danger. I don't know what I would do if something happened to you guys again."

Naruto gently returned the hug, giving Ayame what comfort he could. Hinata, her eyes soft as she stood beside them, spoke quietly, reassuring her.

"We are shinobi, Ayame. You know what we do has risks. But there is something you should remember. We may not be the same people you remember, but you are still precious to us, like we are to you. No matter what happens, some small part of us will always be together."

Ayame nodded to this, her face still buried in Naruto's jacket. Without looking, she reached over and pulled Hinata into the hug as well, and the indigo haired teen gave a small "eep" as she did so.

"Promise?"

Looking up, she glanced at both of their faces as she waited for their answer. Hinata was bright red once again, and Naruto looked a bit embarrassed at his fellow jonin's proximity, but both answered her as one, their determination obvious on their faces.

"Promise."

* * *

Preparations went quickly, and before long Naruto and Hinata were both ready to go as they waited in the rest house that the merchants used. Hinata had her contacts in, changing her eyes from their normal pale lavender color to a light blue. Naruto's bright blond hair had been dyed a deep red color and smoothed out, suppressing its natural spikiness, while the black whisker marks had been covered with a flesh colored makeup. Both were dressed as simple merchants, wearing nondescript outfits in browns and grays. Naruto was standing in front of a mirror, examining the changes that had been wrought with a broad smile on his face.

"Man, I look good! I don't know why, but I like this hair color. What do you think, Hinata?"

Hinata couldn't help but blush a bit as Naruto asked her opinion, but it was hardly noticeable. Looking at him indirectly through the mirror, she replied, her stammer a making surprise reappearance.

"S-sorry, Naruto, but I like your natural hair color b-better. It's bright, like the sun. It fits you better."

Naruto, who had continued examining his new look, missed Hinata blushing after she spoke. Nodding, he turned to her as he replied, the smile staying firmly locked on his face.

"Yeah, but I don't think I'll have an issue with this while we are on the mission."

His smile became a bit sheepish as he began rubbing the back of his head.

"So what were our cover names again? I'm sorry I forgot, Hinata."

Hinata gave him an exasperated look, but didn't smash him on the head like Tsunade or Sakura probably would, though the thought did cross her mind for a few seconds. She instead just introduced herself, hoping he would remember.

"I'm Mai. And you are?"

Naruto went into deep concentration, folding his arms and squinting his eyes. Hinata couldn't help but giggle a little bit, covering her mouth with a hand as she did so. After a few minutes contemplation, he abruptly jerked, eyes wide as he remembered.

"Hiro! That's right, I got it now. Thanks Hin- uh, Mai!"

Hinata smiled as she shook her head, her amusement clear.

"You're welcome, Hiro. The rest of the convoy is waiting for us now."

Nodding, Naruto shot another broad smile her way and led the way toward the exit where the rest of the merchants were preparing to leave. Stepping out of the door, the pair was greeted by catcalls and laughter as a voice somewhere in the group called out, and a scroll with an envelope tied to it slammed into Naruto's stomach.

"About time you two got out here. Here's your pay for the week and a letter that was waiting for you when we arrived; sorry I didn't get it to you sooner. We didn't want to…interrupt."

Naruto just looked confused, but Hinata's blush at the insinuation was enough to cover for the both of them. Unrolling the letter, the now red haired jonin began reading before his face quickly shifted color to match his hair, and he handed it to his companion.

_Hiro,_

_Good luck on your trip; I know how important retrieving those goods is to the village. Remember to keep your nose clean and watch out for any creepy types. And you and Mai keep it clean. Just because you're as good as engaged doesn't mean I want great grandkids anytime soon!_

_Granny_

Naruto had been wondering what exactly their cover story would be, but Tsunade had refused to give any specifics other than their cover names, instead telling them they would receive a letter that would explain. Thinking back now, it took everything he had not to slam his palm into his forehead as he remembered the smirk on Tsunade's face when he had asked that. _Great, so we're a couple. _ _Damn it, she knew this would embarrass the hell out of us, and did it anyway just to make the story believable. _

Hinata understood what was going on the moment that she read the letter, but tried not to think about it as even more blood rushed to her face. One of the merchants, who happened to be standing right behind Hinata, read the letter over her shoulder before bursting out laughing.

"Aww, isn't that cute! But I think your granny's warning was a little too late there, Hiro."

Naruto looked outraged, and seemed about ready to start throwing punches before he noticed the merchant wink at him. It slowly dawned on him that these merchants had to know what was going on, and were just playing along with the deception, helping to set up their cover story. Shaking his head, Naruto spoke up in his defense, glaring at the person standing across from him.

"Knock it off. Mai's much too nice a girl for anything like that to happen. Besides, Granny would skin me alive with a rusty spoon if she found out!"

Hinata, who had finally recovered enough to speak, did so, walking up beside Naruto and taking hold of his arm hesitantly.

"That's r-right. H-hiro is a gentleman. Not like you deviants."

Hinata's stammering comment brought another round of uproarious laughter, and she quickly reddened once again as the merchants turned to ribbing the merchant who had been speaking. Naruto turned his attention back to the envelope he was holding and opened it, pulling out a small wad of ryo notes. Written on the one on the top of the stack was a small line of script.

_The Tanuki sends his regards, and bids you follow his servants' lead._

Meeting Hinata's gaze, he held the note up so she could see it before he shuffled it back into the wad. The message Gaara was trying to convey was clear. _The merchants know what they're doing, just play along._

Tucking the envelope and scroll into a pocket, Naruto looked up as he heard the leader of the group, an older man with salt and pepper hair named Akeno, shout out instructions.

"Ok, now that the lovebirds are ready to go, let's get moving. We got a lot of ground to cover before nightfall."

* * *

The convoy had slowly made its way out of the village, and once on the open road they made good time. Each member had a large pack that they carried most of their personal items in, as well as several carts that the men took turns pulling. The carts were mostly empty, other than a few small boxes that were being delivered to the port they were traveling to. Naruto and Hinata walked together, each carrying their own pack, and doing their best to look the part. This wasn't hard, since they were supposed to be an easily embarrassed teen couple, and their traveling companions seemed to take great pleasure in ribbing the two until Akeno had finally spoken up in their defense.

"Enough. Leave the two kids alone before Mai passes out and Hiro has to carry her, no matter how much he might enjoy that."

The group had settled down and continued walking, giving both of the teenagers enough time to recover from the teasing. They continued along the path, talking quietly until just before nightfall, when Akeno finally called a halt and began directing the group in setting up camp for the night.

"Kaori, you, Mai and Sana see about getting something to eat for everyone. Jiro, take Kado, Keiji and Hiro start setting up everyone's tents. Toru and I will go get firewood and water."

The group quickly split up and began working at their tasks. Before long, the tents were set up and the group was enjoying a simple meal around the campfire, joking and laughing about random subjects as if they didn't have a care in the world. Despite the fact that they were there undercover, and that they seemed to take an unhealthy amount of pleasure in embarrassing the two shinobi, both Hinata and Naruto quickly took a liking to their merchant companions, and had little difficulty blending in with the group.

As night fell, the group began to drift to their tents, retiring for the day. Akeno spoke up, bidding everyone good night and giving reminders of their duties.

"Good night, everyone; get some rest, we need to be moving fairly early tomorrow. Hiro, you and I have first watch. Everyone else already knows their schedule, we will wake you up when its time."

Naruto smiled as Hinata stood and made her way toward their tent, bidding her goodnight as he slowly walked over to speak to Akeno. The older man grinned at the disguised shinobi, winking broadly at Hinata as he addressed him.

"You're a lucky guy, Hiro, but I think I should go over some ground rules about proper conduct with you again."

Naruto was led a short distance away from the camp, where Akeno began speaking softly to him, his voice pitched so no one outside of two feet away could hear him.

"Not bad, kid; you catch on quick. Lord Gaara sends his greetings. We might not be shinobi, but we will do what we can to help you out with your mission. Just keep playing along, and everything will be fine."

Reverting back to his normal tone, he directed Naruto to stand watch at the other side of the camp before taking up his own position. Naruto sighed to himself as he settled into position beside a tree, attempting to get a bit more comfortable while he stood his watch. It was nice to have a bit of time alone, without the near constant teasing that he and Hinata had endured. No matter how good natured, a person could only take so much. But some small part of him really didn't mind.

The thought didn't strike him as odd as he thought it might. True, he was embarrassed as hell by all the ribbing he had been on the wrong end of, but he had always fantasized about what it would be like to be in a relationship like that. Though for the most part the girl involved had been Sakura, and it had been ridiculously unrealistic thanks to Jiraiya's influence. But then he had begun working to salvage his relationship with a friend. A young girl had appeared out of nowhere, and something had started to change.

Naruto had always been the oblivious one in his peer group. But after the events of Pain's invasion, it would be impossible for him not to know about the young kunoichi's feelings for him. Even now, a part of him that he had never realized was dark began glowing like the sun at the thought. Someone loved him. Oh, he knew that Tsunade and Jiraiya, as well as many others, cared deeply for him, but this was different.

Naruto knew several things. He enjoyed Hinata's company. She always worked hard, and she never gave up. She was great fun to spar with, and they had helped each other improve their skills greatly. And she was his closest friend. After their confrontation at the training area that day, he had gradually gotten to know her better. True, he liked talking to the other shinobi he had gone to the academy with. Shikamaru was great company for a lazy day off. If you wanted someone to train yourself into the ground with, look no farther than Lee. Hungry? Go find Choji.

But he didn't really know them, not like he did Hinata. He had no idea what Neji's favorite foods are, but he could easily name off Hinata's. _Zenzai and Cinnamon rolls._ After a week straight of Ichiraku, Hinata had finally worked up the courage to ask if she could choose a place to eat, and he had reluctantly agreed, but was pleasantly surprised. He never would have guessed the Hyuuga had such a sweet tooth. And that was just one of a myriad of things that he had come to know about the indigo haired girl.

As he thought about his friend, Ayame's face suddenly popped into his head, and he unconsciously blushed once again. That girl was the proof that he and Hinata could be something more than just close friends if he wanted to. The circumstances surrounding her appearance still made the young jonin's head hurt, but there was no denying her parentage.

Naruto jumped as a pebble bounced off his head, before seeing Akeno waving at him, signaling the watch change. Waving back, Naruto woke up the next person in the rotation before slipping stealthily into his tent and collapsing onto his bedroll. He still hadn't come to any definite conclusions about how he felt about Hinata. But glancing at her sleeping form, he couldn't miss the warm feeling that grew in his chest as he burrowed into his blankets.

* * *

Ayame sighed as she watched the small forms of the merchant group disappear into the distance from the top of the Hokage's monument. She was still upset about them leaving without her, but she wasn't worrying as much as she had been. Their sincere, if slightly corny promise had calmed her down quite a bit. Hinata and Naruto were powerful shinobi, and capable of taking care of themselves. They would be fine.

Standing up, she carefully ran down the face of the monument and made her way back into the village proper. _Well, at least now I can explore the village some more._ With both of her senseis out of the village, she couldn't do much more than practice what she already knew, and you could only do so much of that before going stir crazy. Besides, that's what shadow clones were for.

Since she didn't have to meet with Shikamaru's team until the next morning, Ayame was content to simply wander around the village, letting her feet decide their own destination. Though she did make sure to keep away from the Hyuuga compound, even with the ANBU she was sure were shadowing her even now. She walked slowly, enjoying the sight of a bustling village instead of the rotting husk that dominated her memories of the place.

After aimlessly wandering for quite some time, Ayame found herself near one of the many training grounds that dotted the village's landscape. She wasn't surprised at where she had ended up, since they had been spending so much time training. But she wasn't really in the mood for that right now. The blond genin was feeling a bit hungry, and would have turned to start toward her favorite (much to Naruto's delight) eating place, if she hadn't heard a familiar cry and been bowled over by a green blur, which had a slightly smaller blur following close behind.

"YOSH, Gai-sensei! If I cannot tag you, I will double my weights and walk everywhere on my hands for a week!"

Another voice, which seemed to be coming from the lead figure, replied in an enthusiastic voice.

"That is my student, Lee! Fan the flames of Youth, and you shall accomplish anything!"

"Gai-Sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-Sensei!

Ayame was momentarily blinded as both blurs, which were bouncing around the training ground like a pair of squirrels on crack, suddenly began emitting an intense white light from what the girl could only assume was their smiles. It was several verses and about thirty laps around the training ground before the figures noticed the blond genin sprawled on the ground with her forehead protector pulled up around her eyes in an attempt to block out the blinding light. With a flourish, Gai landed on the ground in front of her, calling a halt to the chase.

"Hold, my youthful protégé! We seem to have unknowingly affected a fellow shinobi with our display. My apologies if we have hurt you in anyway. We meant no harm."

With that, he flashed another blinding smile. Sitting up, Ayame pulled down her forehead protector and took in the sight of the two shinobi now standing in front of her. Lee looked exactly the same as she remembered, but with a fully intact jumpsuit underneath his flak jacket and his eyes were not empty as they had been the last time she had seen him. Gai was much the same, though he didn't look nearly as old as he had seemed during their time in Kiri.

It took every ounce of Ayame's self control not to latch onto the two and drag them into a fierce hug. Gai and Lee had always been great fun, and after Gai and stayed behind to delay Kisame while they made their escape, she missed him terribly. The genin still vaguely remembered a period when she was five where she had driven her family nuts by doing her best to imitate the two as much as possible, and the young girl hid a small grin behind her forehead protector as a thought occurred to her. _Let's see how well I can pull this off._

Ayame bounded to her feet and did her best imitation of the pair's "Nice Guy" pose, shooting them a thumb up along with a blinding smile of her own.

"It is no sin to be overcome by the flames of Youth! Do not worry, for your display has only inspired me to embrace my own youthfulness all the more!"

Both of the shinobi standing before her had shocked looks on their faces, their mouths hanging open as they stared at the girl across from them. Gai was the first to recover, shaking his head slightly before laughing loudly and slapping Lee on the back, knocking the younger man out of his stupor.

"Well said, my young friend! What might your name be, that I may know who else in this village burns so brightly with the Fire of Youth?"

The smile stayed on her face as she replied to the Jonin's question. But inside, she was giggling madly. These two may have been nuts when it came to some of the insane training they did, but they were always entertaining.

"I'm Ayame Uzumaki."

"Ah, Naruto's young ward! How did you come to have such a youthful outlook?"

The part of Ayame that enjoyed pranking people immediately lit up, and an evil laugh started echoing through her mind.

"From Naruto, of course! He always talks about how you and Lee are his examples, and how he only wishes he could be as youthful as you both!"

Lee's face at this declaration was absolutely priceless, as he immediately began proclaiming his joy to the heavens.

"Yosh, Gai-sensei, I had no idea that Naruto shared our views! We must find him at once, and help him to work hard so one day he might be as youthful as you!"

Lee took off like a shot, bound and determined to find his friend and begin his conversion, with Gai hot on his heels.

"Wait, Lee! There is much to do!"

Ayame, who had been doing her damnedest to keep a straight face the entire time, broke down in a fit of giggles the moment they were out of earshot. Several minutes later, after she finally got her laughter under control, Ayame slowly began walking toward Ichiraku, a bright smile on her face as she thought about what she had just set in motion.

_Oh man, Naruto is gonna kill me!_

* * *

Konoha was generally a quiet village at night. There were few shinobi moving around after midnight, mostly ANBU operatives or chuunin who were assigned the night patrol. The Hyuuga compound, however, was exempt from the majority of these patrols. Branch family members took care of that duty, keeping a watchful eye over the mostly sleeping compound. Those that did notice a dim light emitting from a small meeting room on the edge of the compound knew better than to acknowledge it. Sticking their noses into the elders' business was a good way to get your seal activated.

"Hiashi has gone soft. Why he did nothing to ensure the girl was placed in our hands is beyond me. And then he has the audacity to threaten to mark us with the seal when we were acting in the best interests of the Hyuuga. And his daughters are no better. We might have had a chance to keep Hanabi under our control at one time, but Hinata and her cousin have too much influence with her. "

The clan's three elders whispered quietly amongst themselves, periodically activating their Byakugan to ensure they were not being observed. The oldest of the three replied to this remark, looking at the man who had spoken first, his face an emotionless mask.

"My son has obviously been affected by outside influences, Usugurai. Since Neji's defeat during his chuunin exams, he has been changed, even going so far as to instruct the boy in the main houses' secrets."

The group's third companion, an elderly Hyuuga matron named Kumotta, narrowed her eyes as she took in this information.

"What would you have us do then, Kuragari? Would activating the boy's seal put Hiashi back in his place?"

Kuragari shook his head, and met the gaze of the woman.

"Neji and his influence on my son, as well as his daughters' behavior, are a symptom. We must strike at the cause of the disease. Naruto Uzumaki."

The woman scoffed at this in an attempt to hide a hint of fear. The Uzumaki was one of the strongest shinobi in the village. He had single handedly defeated Pain, when only one Hyuuga had managed to even land a blow against the Akatsuki's supposed leader, and had been seriously injured in the process.

"We would stand no chance if we moved openly against him. If he did not kill us himself, the rest of the village would tear the clan to pieces."

Hiashi's father gave a grim smile, showing the first sign of emotion that night as he switched his gaze between his two fellow elders.

"Why would his allies wish to attack him? But it would be such a shame was something to happen to his young charge. The life of a shinobi is one fraught with danger after all. "

* * *

A/N: Big thanks once again to Gman391 and Bookworm702 for providing plot spackle and grammer checks. Once again, reviews are always appreciated and keep me motivated to keep writing so keep them coming! I'll also attempt to answer any non-spoiler questions that you may have.

Next Chapter: _Shadows & Favors_


	7. Spies & Favors

Shinobi were usually notoriously light sleepers, so Hinata didn't think much of it when she awoke the next morning to the sound of birds chirping and the light rustling sound of the morning breeze moving through the trees. Cracking her eyes open, she could tell it was just before sunrise from the ambient light coming in through the slight crack in the tent flap. Sighing as she nestled back into Naruto's shoulder, she decided to try and get some more sleep. It would be a few minutes befor-

"EEP!"

Hinata could feel her face grow hot as she quickly jumped backward from where she was laying, pulling herself free from his arm and pressing her back against the tent wall as she moved as far away from her previous position as she possibly could. Thankfully, her companion appeared to be a much heavier sleeper than she was and didn't wake up, even with her vocalization and sudden movement. Letting out a small breath, Naruto rolled over, apparently blissfully ignorant of what had just happened.

The indigo haired girl quickly slipped her contacts into place and slipped out of the tent as quietly as possible, making her way in the direction of the stream Akeno had mentioned the night before. Reaching the stream, she splashed her face with a bit of water in an attempt to wake herself up. _How did that happen? _

Hinata shook her head to herself as she thought about the rather embarrassing position she had woken up in. The night before, she had fallen asleep quickly. Unused to traveling at such a slow pace, she was a bit surprised at how tired she had been but hadn't thought much about it as she fell asleep.

Hinata was less worried about how it happened and more about what might have happened if Naruto had woken up while they were sleeping together like that. He was aware of how she felt about him, but she was still unsure of his feelings toward her, and she really didn't want to risk what they had already by being too forward. Before Pain's invasion, they hadn't spoken much. She watched him from a distance, using him as an example to better herself while he went about his business, only speaking to her on a few occasions. The nearly two years following the invasion, however, had been as close to a living hell as the girl had ever experienced.

It probably wasn't as bad as she was making it out to be, but that depends on perspective. True, her relationship with her father and cousin was much improved. She was continuingly growing in strength and ability. But she had thought Naruto hated her, or at least didn't want to be around her. The person who had given her the strength to continue onward, to change herself, didn't want anything to do with her. Finding out that she wasn't the reason he was so uncomfortable around her had been like having a huge weight lifted off her shoulders. As a result of that night, they had begun training together, and they were on even better terms than ever. He was actually her friend. They spent time together. They talked, they laughed. It was more than the girl had ever hoped to have, and she wasn't willing to risk that. She couldn't go back to the way things had been before. Slamming a fist against a tree, she fought back tears at that thought. _I WON'T go back to that._

Sighing, the young kunoichi sat down against a tree and enjoyed the sunrise as she composed herself. Her current emotional state would be even more embarrassing than the teasing glances her and Naruto kept getting from the rest of the group of merchants. After a few more splashes of water, she quickly made her way back to the camp, hoping her outburst in the tent had escaped notice.

By this time, the sun was well up, and the camp was awake and going about their morning preparations. Hinata slowly began making her way in the direction where several appetizing smells were wafting from. Sana was definitely a talented cook, even with the limited supplies they had at their disposal. She walked slowly, exchanging good mornings with the majority of the group, until she saw Naruto waving at her, a bright smile on his face.

"Over here, Mai! I already got you some food!"

Hinata diverted from her original path and sat down next to Naruto with a quiet good morning and a smile on her red tinged face, secretly pleased at the young man's thoughtfulness as she took the small bowl from him. Naruto returned the smile, rubbing the back of his neck as he did so.

"Thank you, Hiro."

"No problem! You weren't in the tent when I woke up, so I figured you were out for a walk, and I didn't want you to miss breakfast. Kado and Keiji looked like they were going to eat everything before you got there."

The twin brothers look up from where they were noisily eating their breakfast at the sound of their names. Pausing their enthusiastic mastication, they both swallowed and spoke, their eyes twinkling at her as they brushed back their mid length brown hair.

"He's right, Mai. We would have-

"-eaten the whole lot if he hadn't snatched some for you. You've-

"-got him trained rather well."

The twin on the left made a whipping motion with one hand while the one on the right provided the sound effect, before both jumped up and took off with Naruto hot on their heels, the undercover shinobi protesting while both twins were laughing crazily.

"Hey! I'm not whipped, damn it!"

Hinata couldn't help but giggle, even with the growing heat radiating out from her face as the rest of the group laughed as well, the women in the group smiling knowingly at the younger woman. They may all be playing along with the deception, but they could tell there was something between the two shinobi, even if the two weren't aware of it themselves. Akeno appeared out of the trees, dragging the twins back into the camp by their ears with Naruto following close behind, a sheepish expression on his face. The merchant leader scowled around the clearing, though everyone could see the smile in his eyes as he glowered at the group.

"Alright, enough horsing around. We have a lot of ground to cover if we are going to hit the first merchant hostel by tomorrow night. Let's get busy breaking camp."

Naruto beckoned Hinata to follow him with a mischievous look on his face, and he led the girl toward where their tent had been pitched. The Hyuuga was pleasantly surprised to find that the tent was already packed away, and both of their packs were ready and waiting for them. Naruto grinned broadly at her as he moved forward and picked up his pack.

"I already got our stuff ready to go. I figured Akeno would want to get going really early, so I decided not to waste any time. Hope you don't mind."

Hinata did her best not to blush as she thanked him, but couldn't keep it completely under control as they walked back to rejoin the rest of the group. Naruto apparently didn't think he had done anything special, but Hinata felt differently. She wasn't really used to having someone spontaneously do things for her like that. Members of the branch family usually had her things ready for her at home and had breakfast prepared when she awoke, but that was different. That was out of a sense of duty. What Naruto had been doing today was just because, and Hinata loved him all the more because of it, even if she couldn't bring herself to tell him as much.

* * *

Ayame couldn't help but snicker as she listened to Chokichi Akimichi comment on the mission they had just completed, a smile on his rounded face as they walked toward the Hokage's tower. The young Akimichi genin was wearing a dark blue jacket which was left open, revealing a t-shirt with his clan's emblem on it.

"This cat is too troublesome. I was looking forward to watching the clouds today."

Ayame glanced at the other two genins walking with them as Shikamaru leaned forward and smacked the young Akimichi on the back of the head for mocking his sensei. Shizue Aburame was her normal quiet self, walking along with the usual stoic expression. Though it was difficult to tell what she was thinking behind her dark sunglasses and the tall collar of her dark purple jacket. The last member of the group, Eiji Murakami, shook his head and scowled at Chokichi as he tightened his grip on said feline.

"Stop making fun of Shikamaru-sensei, before he decides to let the cat go again. If Shizue hadn't tagged the stupid thing before we found sensei, it would have taken us all day to find it again. I don't really want to hunt it down all over."

Shikamaru sighed as he walked behind the four genin. With Ayame's eyes to help them out, they had hunted the stupid cat down before he had a chance to even get a decent nap in. Not to mention the water balloon that had been used to wake him up. _This girl is as troublesome as Naruto is. I can see why he went to the trouble to adopt her._

As they walked into the debriefing room to turn in their mission, Ayame could help but match the Hokage's brief smile when she saw her. After the much protesting cat had been stuffed into a carrier to be returned to its owner, Tsunade addressed the group, a slight smile on her face as she took in the exasperated look on the damp jonin's face.

"Excellent job with your mission. Unfortunately, there are no more D-ranks available at the moment. Shikamaru, I'd like to talk with you privately, so if you have any instructions for your team, let them know now."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, obviously thinking his favorite word as he addressed his team.

"Take the rest of the day off. We've been working hard; I think you deserve it."

The four genin bowed to the Hokage before making for the door, already trying to decide what they wanted to do. Tsunade unfortunately didn't miss the comment that Ayame made to her fellow genin as they stepped out the door.

"I think he's still mad about that water balloon…"

The older woman raised an eyebrow at the Nara, and a laugh threatened to break free as she began questioning the jonin.

"So, how is Ayame working with your team? If this arrangement works out as well as I hope, we may start making this a normal practice."

Shikamaru shook his head once again, only slightly irritated to have to supervise another genin.

"She is doing fine. My team gets along with her well. Though it's troublesome how quickly they finish missions with her help. Why did Naruto have to teach her to use shadow clones?"

Tsunade smiled once again at this complaint and laughed a bit as she replied.

"Naruto and Hinata didn't have much time to get her up to speed for the last genin exam. But she is more than capable of handling that jutsu."

"That's part of something I wanted to ask you about. I've observed some… inconsistencies with the girl."

Tsunade's face immediately became serious as she motioned for the jonin to continue. If anyone was going to notice holes in the story they had created, better it was Shikamaru than someone who might use the information to hurt the young girl.

"From what the report I was given said, she had her eyes implanted into her by rogue elements in Kumo. But she doesn't bear any signs of such an operation. Surely there should be some slight scarring around the eye sockets from such a traumatic procedure. She also acts strangely around some of my old classmates. We ran into Kiba and Choji on a mission several days ago. The instant she laid eyes on them, she froze. If I hadn't been watching her at the time, I would have missed it, but she seemed to recognize who they were and even called Akamaru by name before anyone had mentioned it. I asked them later, and they had never met the girl before. I'm probably going to regret involving myself in something this troublesome, but this, as well as some odd comments she has made about Naruto and Hinata, makes me think something is going on."

Shikamaru watched calmly as Tsunade began massaging her forehead, before she looked up at him and expressed her earlier sentiment.

"Better you were the one to find the holes in the story before someone more dangerous did. I will have to speak to Ayame about being more careful with her comments. What you are about to hear, Shikamaru, is an S-class secret."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes at this, folding his arms in front of him as he did so.

"Great, just what I thought. Secrets classified that high are much too troublesome. Is there any chance we can just forget that I asked?"

Tsunade shook her head at him, refusing his request with a smirk.

"No. You brought it up, as you should have. But now that you know something is going on we may need your input in the future, since you are one of the best tacticians in the village, as hard as that is to believe. I was planning on bringing you in on this sooner or later anyway. Ayame Uzumaki is in fact Naruto and Hinata's biological daughter."

The Nara's expression didn't change other than an eyebrow rising upwards as he took in this news. It was unexpected, to say the least. Hinata's feelings were common knowledge, but as far as he knew the Uzumaki didn't think of the girl that way. At least, not yet.

"How does that work?"

"To make a long story short, a time/space transportation accident dropped her into my office several months ago. She's from a future where Konoha was destroyed by armies under the control of Akatsuki."

Shikamaru sighed once again before he flopped down in a chair facing the Hokage. _Great, this is going to take forever. So much for getting some cloud watching in._

* * *

Degarashi Port hadn't changed much from the last time Naruto had been here when Sasuke, Sakura, and he had acted as bodyguards for Ibiki Morino's younger brother. The city still seemed to be controlled by the local crime syndicates, though it was relatively calm. The Wasabi family did a good job keeping it that way. Jirocho was a kind man, and the city reflected that thanks to the winning streak they had going in the annual Shrine race. While still small compared to Konoha, the port city was in good shape, the buildings clean and in good repair.

Naruto idly wondered how Idate was doing as the group made their way to an inn on the water front near the Port Gate. They had shown up a day early, and their shipment of goods wasn't ready yet. Because they were so ahead of schedule, Akeno had given the group the rest of the day to enjoy themselves, telling everyone to be ready to leave once the shipment was prepared in the morning.

The undercover jonin caught his companion's gaze as they walked out of the inn, her disguised blue orbs causing him to stop for a second. It was odd seeing the Hyuuga with normal eyes. Almost disconcerting. Naruto liked the lavender tinged white that she had been born with. Her eyes weren't cold like so many of her family member's were, and her near indiscernible pupils didn't bother him like her father or Neji's did sometimes. There was just something about her eyes that felt… right to him. He could just stare into those pale lavender pools forever…

Naruto shook his head as he turned toward Hinata and asked her a question, a bright smile on his face as he did so. He would worry about where that thought came from later.

"So, we have plenty of time to kill; what would you like to do, Mai? I'm kind of hungry myself."

Hinata began pushing her forefingers together, looking down at the ground, her face still slightly red. She had gradually gotten used to sharing a tent with Naruto, though she had woken up with her head on his shoulder several more times. But apparently the twins thought it would be funny to take care of their room for them. When he had given his assumed name to rent the room they had been informed their room had already been paid for. With their shinobi training, neither of the two missed the brothers trying to shadow them as they made their way toward their room. Hinata's small squeak of embarrassment when the door had opened to reveal a single large sleeping platform rather than the two smaller ones a normal room would have had set the pair off, cackling madly. That had given Naruto a good enough excuse to chase after them without breaking cover.

As much as delivering a sound thrashing made Naruto feel better, they had no choice but to take the room as there were no others available. The disguised Uzumaki had the oddest feeling that the innkeeper was trying desperately not to laugh as he relayed his apologies.

"Um… that sounds fine to me, Hiro. I would like something to eat as well."

The two began walking slowly along the water front, trying not to think about their sleeping arrangements for that night as they searched for a place to eat. Naruto was embarrassed enough as it was. Nearly every night they had camped, the young shinobi would dream he was sleeping with Hinata in his arms. Not that he particularly minded for some reason, but his experience with girls (i.e. Sakura and Ino) kept him from saying anything. He knew Hinata wouldn't smash his head in like that pair might have, but he didn't want to embarrass her anymore than she already was.

Eventually they settled on a newer looking restaurant, a brightly lit place that boasted the widest variety of food of any restaurant in the port. They settled into a table near the rear of the restaurant with a good view of both the entrance and the doors to the back of the building. From this point on, they were watching everything closely. The shipments that had been stolen before had tended to simply disappear off of the merchants carts. Any clue they could glean, even this early, might give them the lead they needed to determine what was going on.

"How are you fine looking young people doing today? Can I get you and your girlfriend anything to drink while you look over the menu?"

Naruto bit back his first reply as a kind looking older woman with grey streaked hair approached them, a smile on her face. He knew "She's not my girlfriend" would probably be the fastest way to break their cover possible. _Would that be such a bad thing, anyway?_ The disguised shinobi ignored that random thought and smiled up at the woman.

"I'd like some water, please. What would you like, Mai?"

Hinata, who had unconsciously pinked a bit at the "girlfriend", forced herself to meet the woman's gaze as she made her request, relaxing slightly at the gentle smile on their waitress's face.

"Some green tea would be nice, thank you."

Leaving a pair of menus, the woman left and came back momentarily with their drinks, leaving the pair to allow some time to decide what they wanted. After each placed their order, Naruto for, what else, ramen, and Hinata, surprisingly, for the same thing, they sat quietly for a few minutes as they waited. Naruto, who was a bit uncomfortable with all the silence, finally spoke up, attempting to make some idle conversation.

"So, um, Mai, have you ever been to Degarashi before?"

The indigo haired girl shook her head as she replied, appearing to meet his gaze as she watched some of the other customers out of the corner of her eye. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary happening in the restaurant at this point.

"No, I haven't. This is actually my first time in Tea country. It's much different than I expected."

"Yeah, its nothing like Suna or Konoha. It's been a while since I was last here, during the Shrine race a few years ago. Nice to see that the Wasabi seem to be having a bit of a winning streak."

The waitress gently set their orders down in front of them, smiling as she overheard a bit of their conversation.

"Yes, young Idate has been doing quite well in the race each year. The Wagarashi haven't won a single race since he first started running for the Wasabi. He actually comes in here fairly often. If he wasn't out of the city at the moment you might have got to see him. So, what brings you two to Degarashi?"

Naruto relaxed a bit more at this news. Idate had shinobi training, and if he recognized Naruto it might put the whole mission at risk. Not having to worry about an accidental run in took a large weight off his shoulders.

"We're part of a merchant group from Suna. We got here a day early, so we are just taking some time to ourselves before we have to leave again."

The woman's eyes twinkled as Naruto made this comment, a smile breaking across her face as she watched Hinata smile slightly and suddenly take an interest in her food. _This girl has it bad. It's so cute!_ She couldn't help but shoot the young man a wink, laughing to herself when he turned bright red.

"Well, I'm sure the young lady appreciates such thoughtfulness from such a handsome looking fellow."

Before anymore comments could be made, several new customers entered the restaurant, and the the pair quietly finished eating and thanked the older woman for the meal, both of them turning bright red once again at her reply.

"You're very welcome; I always enjoy serving such a cute couple."

Making their way out of the restaurant, they began slowly walking back toward the hotel along the water front. About halfway back to the hotel, Hinata suddenly latched onto his arm, and leaned her head against his shoulder. Naruto looked down at the indigo haired girl with a surprised, and embarrassed expression on his face, mirroring the girl's.

"What's wrong Mai?"

The girl looked up and met his eyes, pitching her voice so only he could hear her as she did her best to smile despite her position.

"We are being watched. Since just after we left the restaurant. On the rooftops."

Eyes widening slightly with understanding, her companion quickly smiled back at her before appearing to reply to a question she had asked.

"Sure, Mai, we can get something more to drink before we get back to the inn. I need to take care of some business anyway."

The pair slipped into a nearby corner store before Naruto rather sheepishly asked to use their bathroom. Rolling her eyes, the woman working behind the counter just pointed toward the back of the store while Hinata made a few purchases.

As soon as the door had shut behind him, Naruto carefully formed a shadow clone and pointed toward the window set near the top of the wall in the bathroom. Nodding understandingly, the clone henged into the form of a generic looking Kiri-nin before it slipped out of the window and into the night air. It was a risk, but they needed information. Hopefully disguising the clone as a shinobi from Kiri would keep suspicions off of the pair if it was caught shadowing their shadow. Taking a few minutes to actually do what he came into the bathroom for, Naruto washed his hands before rejoining Hinata outside the store.

Once back at the inn, the two began preparing for bed, both suddenly self conscious. Keeping their voices low, the two made use of an ability that was taught at the academy, pitching their voices so only someone within two or three feet could hear exactly what they were saying.

"Go ahead and take the bed, Hinata. I'll be okay on the floor."

The young Hyuuga took a deep breath, trying her best not to stammer as she replied, her face red once again and her gaze glued to the floor. Mentally, the girl berated herself. _With all the teasing we've been getting, people must think bright red is my natural skin color. Naruto is my friend, I shouldn't be so embarrassed around him._ But what she was about to say was about the most embarrassing thing she could think of, even though a part of her was pleased at the thought.

"U-um, s-sorry, Naruto, but what if someone is watching us still? I think it would be best if w-we sh-shared i-it."

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, trying his best not to look too embarrassed as he stood there in his usual night time t-shirt and shorts.

"I hadn't thought about that. You're probably right, Hinata, better that we don't risk breaking our cover. Um, I guess I'll take this side?"

Naruto dropped onto the left side of the bed while Hinata slipped into the bathroom to change into her pajamas. Closing the door behind her, Hinata pressed her back against the door, attempting to still the insane drum beat of her heart. _Can't faint, can't faint, can't faint. _Thankfully, the teen managed to keep conscious. Once she was composed enough that Hinata felt she wouldn't pass out when she returned, the girl exited the bathroom and slipped into her side of the bed, doing her best to avoid looking at the young man on the other side of the bed. Focusing on how tired she was, Hinata managed to ignore Naruto's proximity and fall asleep. But only just.

Naruto was sprawled out on his side, apparently deep in thought. Being back in Degarashi brought back a lot of memories. Their first meeting with Idate, the sprinter flirting with Sakura, much to his frustration, and then having the audacity to skip out on his bill, forcing Team 7 to pay for him! Then he and Sasuke's fight with that traitorous bastard Aoi flashed into his mind. If they hadn't worked together, Sasuke weakening their opponent with a Chidori, allowing Naruto to take him down, he doubted any of them would be alive right now. Degarashi wouldn't be doing as well as it was. _What changed, Sasuke? Why did you have to abandon all the good we did?_

Naruto gave a slight start as a rush of memories flooded into his mind as the clone he had set to follow their pursuer dispelled itself. Apparently their shadow, which had some type of disguise technique on, had followed them back to the inn, keeping a close watch over the pair of undercover shinobi. As far as his clone could tell, the figure hadn't seen anything suspicious and had left soon after the lights in their room had gone off. The clone had followed him as long as possible but had lost track of their shadow after it had disappeared into a stand of trees outside the city. Tracking never had been one of his strong points.

Naruto was broken out of his thoughts when Hinata suddenly let out a gentle sigh and rolled over, her head coming to rest on his shoulder. Freezing as his face took on a bright crimson hue once again, it only took Naruto a few moments to realize she was still asleep and unaware of what had just happened. Shifting slightly, he moved his arm to a more comfortable position around her shoulders so he wouldn't wake her. _Jiraiya is probably giggling like a preteen girl at me right now, the damn pervert._ As he looked down at the girl's face that was pillowed on his arm, his confusion reemerged with a passion as that familiar warm feeling returned. Hinata was his best friend. She was Ayame's teacher. He wasn't sure what was going on between them. They were supposed to just be playing a part. Unable to come to a conclusion, he couldn't help but whisper a single question into the night air.

"Why does this feel so right?"

* * *

"Kaiten."

As Neji threw himself into his ultimate defense, hundreds of various sharp implements ricocheted off of the dome of pure chakra, embedding themselves into the ground around him. The Hyuuga had just come to a halt from his spin when a wall of kunai, each with a flaring tag attached to the handle, suddenly shot directly at him from the front, the grinning form of Tenten holding a now empty scroll in her hands.

"Eight Trigrams: Empty Palm."

Thrusting a hand forward, palm out, the Hyuuga genius blew the kunai off course, a surprisingly large number of them embedding themselves in the ground between Tenten's feet. The weapons specialist's eyes widened as she backflipped away from them, just escaping the explosions.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you, Neji? Using your chakra to force projectiles off course is bad enough. But redirecting them? That's just mean! I like it."

The kunoichi was eyeing her training partner and the large crater between them, a smile on her face as she replaced the sealing scrolls. Neji gave a small, tight smile as he replied, breathing heavily.

"Thank you, Tenten. But redirecting takes much more chakra that simply deflecting. I will need to practice much more to learn how direct them more efficently. Must you insist on including explosive tags in our practices?"

Tenten's smile shifted into a smirk as she nodded, giving a small laugh at his question.

"Why wouldn't I? Explosives are just so much fun!"

Neji shook his head at this.

"Be that as it may, having to resurface the training grounds after every session is probably irritating the grounds keepers to no end."

"Oh, it's not that bad. They just use an earth jutsu and the holes fill right up. It's getting late; think we should call it a night?"

Neji, having caught his breath, nodded, taking a moment to straighten his robes before replying to her question.

"That would be wise. I agreed to check in on Hinata's student while she and Naruto are away on a mission, and as the Uzumaki house is on the edge of the village, it would be best to not wait too long before going there."

Neji smiled a bit as he remembered when Hinata had approached him. Neji had once resented Hinata extremely, but after Naruto had soundly beaten him during the chuunin exams his icy demeanor toward her had thawed considerably. Her growth over the course of their training sessions had surprised the Hyuuga's resident genius. Her progress was astounding, and the first time she managed to fight him to a standstill had come much more quickly than he had expected.

When Hinata had stopped him outside the clan compound to make her request, he had been on his way to a training ground for his usual session with Tenten; he had agreed, smirking at her a bit as she mentioned who she would be working with on her mission. The first time he had met Ayame had been interesting to say the least.

Neji honestly liked the young blonde. She was surprisingly like her adoptive father, almost always having a smile on her face, and much like Naruto, it was hard not to let her get on your good side. Naruto having the subtlety to sneak the fact that she possessed the Byakugan past the Hyuuga elders until he could adopt her was icing on the cake. Her very existence outside the clan's control, as well as her origins, weakened the reason the clan used the seal significantly.

Tenten smiled at Neji, and they made their way out of the training ground.

"I'll come with you. I was surprised when you told me Hinata had taken an apprentice, and it'll be nice to meet her. This is the girl Naruto adopted, right?"

"Yes. The elders were not pleased to learn that Hinata was training her, but they are powerless to do anything about it, at least publicly. She is usually under ANBU guard, but Hinata asked me to check up on her as a personal favor."

Tenten looked thoughtful as they made their way to Naruto's new house. Being an inquisitive type, she couldn't help but question Neji about what he knew of the girl.

"So, do you know why Naruto adopted her? I've heard all sorts of different stories, but I don't know what to believe. Naruto doesn't seem to be the kind to adopt someone like that."

Neji replied, his face momentarily becoming stony. There had been a few Hyuuga members reported missing in action over the course of several years, and Ayame's eyes confirmed their worst fears. But that wasn't the girl's fault. She was as much a victim as the missing clan members.

"Apparently Naruto discovered her during a mission to Kumo some time ago. She was an orphan that had her eyes forcibly implanted into her as part of some insane experiment. He rescued her and returned her to Konoha. Naruto made his dislike of the seal plain when I exposed it at the Chuunin exams. So his actions, while surprising, were not out of character."

"I suppose. So, what's she like?"

They stopped just outside the entrance to a small property, a modest sized house set back amongst a few trees.

"You'll find out soon. Though I think she takes after Naruto more than a little bit. Spending so much time with him must have caused her to take on some of his quirks."

Knocking on the door, there was only a slight delay before it opened, revealing a young blonde girl with eyes that had a tint that seemed very similar to Hinata's to Tenten's observant gaze. _Her hair's exactly the same shade of blonde as Naruto's, too. _A bright smile broke out across the young girl's face when she realized who was at the door, and the older kunoichi filed that thought away for later.

"Neji! I was beginning to wonder if you were going to come tonight. Come on in. Would you like some tea?"

Neji gave the young girl a tight smile as he walked into the entryway.

"No, thank you. I agreed to check up on you for your teacher, and I wouldn't break my agreement. I was just a bit distracted by our training. "

Ayame glanced over at his companion, and a light of recognition seemed to glow in her eyes before a sly smile appeared.

"You must be Tenten. Hinata-sensei has told me all about you. I can see why Neji would spend so much time training with you."

Tenten blushed slightly as Neji coughed, before he quickly changed the subject.

"So, how is your training coming, Ayame? Hinata seemed very happy with your progress."

"It's going well. Being able to use my clones makes it go quickly." The girl pouted slightly before she continued speaking. "Though Naruto and Hinata made me promise not to use more than 3 while they are gone. They don't want me to accidently exhaust myself."

Tenten laughed lightly at the girl's display, rolling her eyes at Neji as she did so.

"They just care about you, Ayame. Besides, I don't think anyone could toss shadow clones around like Naruto does, so it's good to be careful."

Neji took this opportunity to interject some of his own counsel to the genin, his face taking on a serious expression as he did so.

"There are other dangers to you as well, Ayame, ones you are well aware of. It would be wise not to over extend yourself, at least while your teachers are out of the village."

The Uzumaki's face took on a similar expression, her tone of voice indicating she was well aware of the danger.

"There's almost always an ANBU detail nearby anyway, but I will. I really appreciate you worrying about me, Neji. It's nice to know at least one other Hyuuga besides Sensei doesn't have a stick up their-"

Neji's snort of amusement cut the girl's comment short as he moved toward the door.

"I'm sure. Well, we have a decent walk to return home, and I'm sure you need your rest for tomorrow. Goodnight, Ayame.

Ayame looked a little downcast at this, but returned the goodbye with a small smile.

"Okay. Goodnight, Neji. Goodnight, Tenten; it was nice to meet you. Try and keep my sensei's cousin out of trouble, okay?"

"I'll try, but you know what they say. It's the quiet ones you have to watch out for."

Both girls ignored the small look of outrage that briefly played across Neji's face at the insinuation that he could possibly be a troublemaker and laughed once again before the older pair excused themselves and began making their way home. Tenten was the first to break the silence that had settled upon the duo as they walked through the village's darkened streets.

"You were right. She does remind me of Naruto, more than a little. But you can still see Hinata's influence. She's not nearly as loud."

"She shares his love of pranks. The first few days I checked in on her she was constantly trying to pull something on me."

Tenten laughed as a thought suddenly occurred to her.

"You know, it's funny; between Ayame's hair color and her eyes, she could almost be Naruto and Hinata's daughter."

Neji gave a small smile as he thought about what Hinata might think of that particular idea.

"Naruto certainly views her as such, and my cousin honestly enjoys the time she spends with her, though I am not sure if that's partially because Naruto is usually close by."

Tenten, seeing an opportunity to gain some new information, attempted to nonchalantly begin questioning Neji.

"So, do you think Naruto's figured it out yet?"

Neji, being Neji, saw straight through what she was trying to do and decided the blunt approach would be best.

"Naruto is well aware of Hinata's feelings."

His companion rolled her brown eyes, replying quickly.

"Well, duh. But do you think he's figured out whether or not he feels the same? I mean, first he spends a year and a half avoiding her and then turns right around and starts training with her almost every night. Then he adopts this girl and Hinata ends up spending even more time around him."

Neji looked thoughtful as he pondered over her question.

"I am unaware of what exactly happened, but shortly before they started training together, Hinata returned to the compound late. She appeared to have been crying at some point, but she looked…thoughtful, and the color of her face when I attempted to question her about it confirmed Naruto was involved. They must have cleared the air between them."

Tenten was quiet for a moment, before a smirk appeared on her face and she shot Neji an amused look.

"I remember seeing Naruto limping slightly one day around that time. Maybe she smacked him around a bit for ignoring her, and he was so impressed he started training with her."

Neji had a hard time believing that, but he didn't voice that opinion.

"Regardless, I think Naruto is still not completely aware of his own feelings on the matter. But his presence brings out the best in my cousin."

Tenten nodded, agreeing with this.

"And the few times I've seen him with her, he seems calmer. Its surprising how well they balance each other out."

Neji shook his head. Unfortunately, there were three wrinkled obstacles that would never approve.

"That's true. But even when the elders were pushing for Hanabi to take her place as heir, they would never approve of such a match. Now I I doubt they would even need to think about it."

Tenten shook her head, smiling at her teammate just before they parted ways.

"Yeah, well, you never know. Stranger things have happened."

* * *

A\N: Once more, I want to give a big hand to Gman391 and Bookworm702 for their most excellent beta work. Gman's awesome at helping me flesh out the characters and even inspired several parts of the story, and Bookworm is amazing with the grammar and such. Also want to say thanks to the in excess of 100 people who have alerted this, as well as everyone who has left reviews. I hope your enjoying my story as much as I am writing it. Once again, reviews help keep me motivated and are always welcome, so keep them coming!

Next Chapter: _Found and Lost_


	8. Found & Lost

In a small cart, packed to the brim with boxes, it was a bit surprising how rough the roads leading from Degarashi back to Fire Country could be. If any of the merchant group could read minds, they would probably have been surprised to hear what appeared to be a crate of different varieties of medicinal herbs complaining about that particular problem.

_Argh. This sucks._

The cart that this particular crate was in, being pulled by the twins at that particular moment seemed to be hitting every bump and pothole possible; the cargo jostling and slamming into itself as they pulled.

_No, this really sucks! Whose idea was this, again? Oh, right. Mine. I'm such an idiot._

When they had discussed what they were going to do once the group was on its way back to Konoha, Naruto had had an amazing idea! He would disguise a shadow clone as part of the cargo. That way once it was stolen, the clone would just have to wait until the thieves reached their destination, then look around a bit before dispelling itself, returning the newly gathered intelligence to the original. Unfortunately, he had forgotten that he would also get the memories of the long, tedious ride in the back of one of the merchant's carts. The disguised clone took pleasure in the fact that he at least wouldn't suffer this indignity alone.

Walking some distance away, the real Naruto was focusing on acting nonchalant about the cargo, trying to keep himself from glancing at the disguised clone every few minutes. On the surface, both he and Hinata were acting just like they had the entire trip, which, thanks to the twins Kado and Keiji, was trying to get over the constant embarrassment that the two seemed to enjoy subjecting them to. Apparently, the thrashing Naruto had delivered back in the Port hadn't gotten through to them. _I guess stuffing their underwear up their noses wasn't enough. _

Shaking his head, the disguised shinobi put off thoughts of revenge. He was too nervous to do anything right now. They were walking through potentially hostile territory with the threat of robbery hanging over them, and there really wasn't anything he could do about it. The single active, henged shadow clone was taking enough of a risk. Having a cordon of them around the group as it travelled would probably tip the thieves off that they were on to them.

Glancing over at his companion, confusion quickly took the place of his nervousness. Hinata was walking along; seemingly oblivious to the danger they were in. But he knew she was probably as antsy as he was. But as much as he would love for her to keep watch with her blood limit, they just couldn't risk it. So instead of worrying about that, his mind once again returned to thoughts of her lying in his arms a few nights ago. _Gah, why is this so hard to figure out? _Naruto knew he had to figure out how he felt sooner or later. But he just couldn't make sense of it. Trying to think of whom he could ask for advice once they were back in Konoha, a familiar face with dark brown hair framing it popped into his mind. _Maybe Ayame could help me out. She's the one who started this whole mess in the first place. Plus, Ramen! _

Having decided he would raid Ichiraku first thing when they returned to Konoha, Naruto picked up his pace a bit and soon pulled alongside Akeno.

"So, how much further is it to Konoha from here? I lost track again."

The older man rolled his eyes at the teen before replying, keeping up his punishing pace.

"We should cross the border into Fire Country sometime tomorrow afternoon. Damn, Hiro, how are you supposed to take over the trade route if you can't even remember the distances along the way?"

"Sorry. I guess my memory still needs a bit of work. I'll try and remember this time."

The younger shinobi dropped back to walk beside Hinata before the old merchant could started swearing at him again. He really didn't want to have to listen to that again, and he really didn't want Hinata to have to hear it either.

"What did he say, Hiro?"

The Hyuuga was gazing at him through her contacts, a questioning expression on her face. For some reason the young man couldn't keep a smile off his face while he answered her question.

"This should be our last night in Tea Country. We should cross the border sometime tomorrow. I don't know about you, Mai, but I'm looking forward to returning to Konoha. Maybe we will have a bit more time to explore this time."

Hinata returned his smile, a relieved expression taking the last one's place.

"I am as well. The climate was much more pleasant than Degarashi's was. And there were a few shops I didn't get a chance to look in."

"I'm sure we will have an extra day to look around-"

Their conversation was cut short as the group came to a halt, and Akeno's voice could be heard from the front of the group.

"Okay, we will make camp for the night here. You all know the drill. Get to work!"

Time passed quickly for the two as they went about their chores. Both exchanged nervous glances as they did so. This was their last night in Tea Country. If their cover had been blown, the cargo wouldn't be taken and all of their effort would have been for nothing. Neither of them wanted that. They were both so preoccupied that neither had time to worry about the other as they went to sleep that night. Naruto didn't even seem to notice when she once again rolled over in her sleep and began using his shoulder as a pillow. Only one thought occupied the young man's mind as he tried to get to sleep.

_This is a chance to save Konoha. Steal that cargo, damn it!_

* * *

Night time in the forested area they were camped in was usually filled with noise. Small animals rustling through the underbrush as the wind whistled through the branches of the trees overhead. The occasional wolf howling in the distance as the twins quietly cleaned up Naruto's latest revenge prank, swearing the entire time.

But tonight was different. No animals could be heard going about their business. The twins were cowering in their tent, dreading what the disguised shinobi might have cooked up for them this time. And what little breeze that was blowing was not strong enough to even make a noise in the smallest branches of the trees. Of course, only three of the group's members understood that something was going on. Neither Hinata nor Naruto were able to do anything about it, nor would they even if they could. That wasn't their mission's objective, after all.

The disguised clone, however, was waiting in anticipation. Quiet like this had to be unnatural, which meant only one thing. He was about to play his part in the mission. Buried in the bottom of the shipment, the clone didn't have long to wait. Some distance away, too quiet for the civilians to hear, a voice suddenly spoke.

"Let's do this already. They're all asleep. We need to get this damn shipment back to the base already, or we are going to get it. You know what happened to the last team that took too long."

Four men shivered at the words. Each was masked and clothed in black, the only insignia a small, red cloud under the left eye of their masks. None wanted to do anything to piss off their superiors.

"Fine, you know the drill. Keep it quiet, and make for the base."

Four shadows broke from cover, moving quickly toward the camp. Neither of the two merchants on watch even noticed as they dropped out of the trees into the center of camp where the carts were parked, and quickly sealed the cargo into several scrolls before disappearing into the night. The pair of shinobi sleeping in a tent nearby, however, heard the theft take place, and, after jumping slightly at each other's proximity, immediately fell back asleep, confident that their deception had gone unnoticed. Laughing quietly to themselves at the thieves' skills, the much more experienced shinobi unknowingly shared a thought.

_Amateurs. _

_

* * *

_

The clone didn't even realize he had been sealed into a scroll until after he had been unsealed, and the crate he was disguised as was unceremoniously dumped into a darkened room, tipping over onto its side as the thieves slammed the door shut behind them.

Taking its time, the clone stayed hidden and still, thinking about its next course of action. The scroll had been unexpected. The plan had been that he would keep track of where the thieves took the goods before dispelling, giving them the location of the enemies base. That, unfortunately, had to change now.

Approximately an hour passed before the clone was confident that it was unobserved and dispelled the henge, twisting its neck back into place. Lying on your neck like that was really uncomfortable. Taking a few minutes to decide what it would do, the clone settled on its course of action. _Well, I'll have to look around a bit before I do anything. Hopefully I can find some indication of where I am._

Quietly slipping out of the storage room, the clone began making its way silently along the corridor it found itself in. It seemed very similar to the underground lair he, Sakura, and Sai had encountered Sasuke in several years ago. The lighting was dim, and yells could be heard echoing down the corridor from one direction. While risky, noise meant people, and people meant the possibility of following one of them out of the base. His decision made, the clone cautiously made his way down the corridor in that direction, sticking to the shadows.

As he slowly approached the location where the sounds could be heard, he peeked around the corner of a door and encountered a sight he had not expected in the slightest. The room he had looked into was a large, cavernous space, twice the size of the arena that had been used in the preliminaries for his first chuunin exams. That wasn't the strangest part, however.

The room was filled with people undergoing shinobi training. All along the edges of the room, men were attempting to run up the sides of the gym, obviously working a form of the chakra control exercise he had worked on under Kakashi. In the center of the area, countless pairs were sparring, their constant vocalizations and the shuffling of so many feet as they worked drowned out the clone's slight gasp of surprise.

Moving quickly past the door, the clone began walking quickly, blending quietly into the shadows whenever he encountered a trainee, as he passed door after door leading into similar training areas. None of them noticed him. Obviously, their training was still in its first stages. Judging by the haggard appearance of many of them, they were criminals or young missing shinobi candidates. The clone spotted plenty of higher ranking shinobi, chuunin and jonin, but all were occupied in the training areas, watching over the students that vastly outnumbered them. Most of those patrolling the corridors seemed to be genin level, capable, but much too easy for a jonin, even one like Naruto, to sneak past. They were obviously confident they wouldn't be found out.

Filing that information away, the clone continued onward, attempting to find an exit. He had already uncovered more information than they had expected, but that wouldn't do Konoha any good if they didn't know where the base was. Moving quickly but quietly, the clone carefully checked each door as he went. Several doors uncovered barracks, filled with row after row of bunks, some filled with sleeping people. Others uncovered more storage rooms, filled with food, medical supplies, or the countless other items that a base like this required. A few revealed forges, smiths tirelessly turning out kunai, shuriken, and other types of weaponry. A few he purposely avoided opening, sensing something incredibly dangerous behind them.

As he continued to explore, the clone froze as he heard one of those doors creak open behind him. Thinking quickly, he dove into a nearby store room and hid. Watching out of a crack in the door, the clone observed a tall man turn and walk in the opposite direction he had been traveling. The figure had its head down, his spiky orange hair obscuring his face as he muttered to himself.

"A man? Or a woman. It has been too long since I've killed a woman. I should go talk to him. He can help me stay in control. But not now."

The clone shivered as he watched the figure disappear down the corridor. Something wasn't right about that man. Shaking its head as it slipped out of the storage room, the clone continued to make its way through the base, tirelessly searching for an exit. As he continued to move forward, the clone began to worry. This big of an operation would be incredibly hard to hide. They were most likely nowhere near Fire country. They have surely found some sign of it by now if it was. So where was he? The clone suddenly started channeling Shikamaru, muttering under his breath.

"If I don't find a way out of here, this is going to get really freaking bad. But this damn complex keeps going and going. I'm never going to find a way out of here. This is really troublesome "

And that wasn't the only problem. The longer he took to find a way out of the base, the more likely it became that he would be discovered, and then the whole operation would go to hell in a hand basket. The clone was distracted from his thoughts by a pair of voices coming out of a nearby door, which was just cracked open, a sliver of light entering the corridor. The familiarity of the voice drew the clone closer in an effort to hear what was being said.

"I really don't understand why we have to sit around this base waiting for the minions to get off their asses and finish their training. I have my own plans, Sasuke. I could be out their hunting down the rest of the swords, or at least working on getting this one fixed."

"Idiot. How are you going to recover the other swords when the majority of them are heavily guarded in Kiri? I don't want to listen to you bitching about it anymore."

The man who had been talking immediately stopped as Sasuke continued, a menacing tone in his voice. Listening closely, it was all the clone could do to keep from bursting into the room and attempting to talk to his old team mate. He had no idea where he was, or what Sasuke had been doing. And being a simple shadow clone with an extremely small percentage of the original's chakra, he stood no chance against any of the people in the room. As much as he hated to admit it, now was not the time to confront him.

"If you don't stop distracting me, I will kill you. Konoha will pay for what they did to my family. If I had my way I would attack them now, but Madara has decided that we need to continue to build up our forces and destroy all of the hidden villages as quickly as possible. I suggest you work toward that goal, rather than annoying me with your constant whining. Then you can worry about your precious swords."

The clone's face took on a variety of different expressions as he listened to the exchange. Happiness at finally finding a trace of his teammate, but quickly morphing into sadness as he listened to the anger and hatred that were plain in the voice issuing forth from the door. Suigetsu spoke again, annoyance plain as he asked a question.

"Fine. But seriously, why do we need to attack all of the villages, anyway? We have more than enough to take out Konoha right now. Once their training is finished, they won't stand a chance. It's going to take years to recruit and train enough to fight all five of the major villages."

"That is Madara's concern. All I care about it destroying Konoha. He is the tool I need to accomplish that goal. If I must wait, I will unless another choice presents itself. If that happens, things may change."

Moving quickly away, the clone tried not to think too much about what he had heard. Sasuke was dead set on destroying the village, and was willing to work with Akatsuki to accomplish that goal. He didn't know what to think. Rather than obsess over it, he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. The mission was the most important thing right now. He had to find some way to either get out of this base or find some clue to where he was.

Time in the base seemed to drag on and on and the clone of the disguised jonin moved stealthily through the seemingly endless complex. Storage rooms, training areas, and private rooms seemed to appear one after the other. The clone had never seen a base this size. Orochimaru's had not been anywhere near this big. It was incredibly unnerving. How had they built something like this in such a short amount of time? And if what he had overheard Sasuke and that other guy talking about was true, this was only a part of their overall plan. Attacking all of the hidden villages was insane. But with more time? They could very well do it.

The clone stopped momentarily as it came across a short hallway branching off from the main corridor. Aside from the two side by side doors at the end of the hall, there seemed to be no other rooms in this part of the complex. _I wonder what's in there?_

The clone approached the doors cautiously. If this was some kind of important room, there was a possibility it would be guarded. Pressing his ear against the door, the clone listened for a few moments before, hearing nothing, it cracked the door slightly. The room was dark and seemed to be unoccupied. Slipping in and shutting the door behind it, the clone turned on the dim lighting that seemed to be popular for this kind of base.

The clone swiftly began to examine its surroundings. It seemed to be some kind of intelligence room. There were maps of the Elemental Nations pinned to each wall, pins seemingly stuck in random locations across them. Desks pushed against the walls underneath the maps had papers strewn across them.

Examining them, he gasped at what they revealed. Reconnaissance on each of the major hidden villages seemed to be plentiful. He also noticed a list of shinobi marked as prospective recruits. A Kurama missing-nin from Konoha, other members of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist, bingo books from nearly every village opened to specific entries. One list caught his attention however. It gave detailed information on locations for future bases to be built. Mixed in among the details where references to a main base, which he assumed had to be where he was, somewhere in the wild, unclaimed areas between Wind and Earth Country.

That information caused him to swear quietly as he began to pour over the maps, hoping to find an exact location on them. How the hell had he gotten there? That was clean on the other side of the continent from Tea Country. A clone had never been this far away from the original before, and he had no idea how that kind of distance would affect the memory transference or how long he had for time.

Before he could find an exact location, or even any identifying landmarks, the door swung open behind him. Standing out in the open as he was, the clone had no time to hide. When he saw who had entered the room, he knew it would have been pointless to try anyway.

Sasuke looked much older than he actually was. He seemed worn, and his face carried that same cold expression that he had always had. Taking in the scene before him, the Uchiha instantly had his sword in hand, the blade hanging loosely at his side as he spoke.

"Spies tend to have a short lifespan in this organization, fool. Give up; I will kill you myself instead of allowing Jugo to have his way with you. You will die here. I will not let your idiocy in thinking you could spy on us stop me from my ultimate goal."

The clone knew the Uchiha was right. He was stuck in a closed in space with someone who had proved to be skilled with a blade and incredibly fast as well. Thinking quickly, the clone attempted to stall, keeping his gaze averted from the blood red orbs fixated on his face.

"And what goal might that be? Killing innocents? Killing friends and comrades?"

The clone jerked as he was suddenly run through with a blade, and Sasuke appeared behind him, whispering in his ear.

"Destroying the village that exterminated my clan. Destroying the symbol of those who used my brother and threw him away like a piece of trash."

The clone coughed weakly and replied before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

"And you always called me the idiot."

Sasuke stood there several minutes, his face unreadable, before quickly walking out of the room, sweeping past Suigetsu, who had been waiting outside. The white haired man spoke as the Uchiha moved past.

"So, did you kill the idiot? Where are you going so fast?"

"To speak with Madara. Konoha will soon know of our activities."

* * *

The next morning, both disguised shinobi had been woken by the sound of loud and repeated swearing.

"God damn it to hell and back! What are we going to do now?"

Akeno was standing next to their empty carts, obviously pissed off as the rest of the group took turns cursing their luck. True, they had been expecting this to happen, but none of them were particularly pleased that they hadn't even noticed during the night. Speaking up, the merchant leader addressed the group, laying out their course of action.

"Swearing about it isn't going to change the fact we've been robbed, people. We don't have the money to return to Degarashi and pick up a replacement shipment, so we have no choice. We return to Konoha and send a message to the owners to tell them what happened. Break camp, and let's get moving. We are still two days away, so we can swear about this there."

Hinata and Naruto relaxed greatly once they had crossed over the border into Fire country. Being back in their home territory had a calming effect on the pair. Even the teasing from Kado and Keiji seemed to have less of an effect on the two, though they seemed to put much less energy into it. No one was very energetic as they walked. So Naruto was not prepared for the memories from the clone to suddenly slam back into his brain like a ton of bricks.

When more and more time had passed without the clone dispersing, they had begun to be a bit worried. Naruto had expected the clone to dispel itself sometime in the night, giving them the information they needed with the enemy none the wiser. But more and more time passed, and the information never came. Both Hinata and Naruto were on edge as they walked, and the young kunoichi was surprised when her companion suddenly pitched forward onto the ground, swearing as he clutched his head.

"Son of a bitch!"

"Hiro, what is it? What happened?"

Glancing upward at the concerned looks the group of merchants was giving him, he waved them ahead and made up an excuse, quickly faking a grimace and clutching at his ankle.

"Nothing, I just stumbled on a rut in the road and twisted my ankle. Go on ahead, Mai and I will catch up in a few."

Even without her Byakugan, the Hyuuga girl could tell he was faking it. He may be able to fool most people, but she knew his masks like the back of her hand, and he had one on right now. Kneeling down in front of him, she began to bind his ankle while they waited for the group to get out of earshot. Now that they were back in Fire Country, they didn't have to worry as much about breaking their cover, though they were forced to keep up the act until they reached Konoha and the real Mai and Hiro could rejoin the group. The last thing he wanted to do was start an incident between Gaara and the Daimyo's. Pitching her voice low, Hinata questioned her partner with a worried look on her face.

"Did the clone finally disperse?"

They had placed the success of the mission on a single option, and that had worried Hinata more than a bit. They, much as the clone had been, were unaware of the range of the memory transference or if it could be blocked some way. But apparently her worries had been proven unnecessary, as Naruto quietly confirmed her question without looking up at her, his face a mixture of sadness and confusion.

"Yes. But how the hell it ended up in the wilds between Wind and Earth Country is beyond me, and things are a lot worse than we could have possibly imagined."

Standing, Naruto quickly began walking, beckoning Hinata to keep up with him.

"Come on. We need to get back to Konoha as soon as possible. Granny needs to hear about this."

* * *

Ayame sighed as she sat in the fenced in back yard of her home. Shaking her head, she tossed the blonde hair out of her eyes before standing up and forming a hand seal.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu."

Three exact duplicates of the girl appeared in front of her, and the four girls paired off and began sparring in an attempt to alleviate her boredom. The only sound she could hear as she moved through her adjusted forms was the shifting of grass and the occasional grunt from one of the girls.

_Where is Neji? He should have been here already. _

A sly smile broke across the original's face as she fought the clone she faced.

_He probably got sidetracked by Tenten again. Those two are worse than Mom and Dad. Maybe he will finally figure it out already and ask Tenten out instead of just arranging "training" with her._

Thoughts on how to get her surrogate uncle together with the weapons mistress he was constantly working with were put aside as she suddenly realized it was entirely too quiet. This close to the edge of the village, it wasn't unusual for wildlife to venture into the grounds surrounding their home. But right now, there was nothing. Narrowing her eyes, the young girl activated her bloodline with a surge of chakra.

"Byakugan."

It only took the girl a few seconds to pinpoint the cause of the sudden quiet. Blending into a group of trees just on the other side of the fence, was a person she had never seen before, his chakra system marking him as a shinobi. Wondering why the ANBU she knew had to be around hadn't investigated the figure; she decided to draw his attention. Hopefully they would take care of him before anything could happen.

"I know you're there. If you're smart, you'll get lost before the ANBU who are standing guard take you out."

The figure shimmered slightly as it broke away from the tree it was hiding in, before it jumped over the fence and stopped a short distance away. From her slender and curved build, Ayame could tell the figure was obviously a woman. Unfortunately, most of her body was covered, other than a leaf forehead protector wrapped around one arm, a slash cutting directly across the etched leaf symbol. Her voice rang out clearly, and several senbon appeared in the missing-nin's hands.

"Those fools are dealing with their own nightmares right now, girl. No one is coming to help you, so I suggest you give up. Powerful men want you dead. And anyone willing to pay my price gets what they want."

Ayame gulped. With her Byakugan active, she would be able to detect most genjutsu and deal with them. But this opponent most likely knew that and had planned accordingly. Focusing momentarily on the needles in her hands, the blonde genin could make out a dark, almost black substance on them. _Poison. Great. _Ayame knew her only chance would be to stall her until Neji showed up. But even that was going to be difficult. Speaking up, the girl attempted to get her opponent talking, hoping to get a monologue running. People like this tended to be rather long winded.

"Who would want to kill a poor little girl like me? I haven't hurt anyone. Well, much, anyway."

"You know very well who would want you taken care of, girl; don't play stupid. They see you as a threat and are willing to pay, and Azumi Kurama never turns her nose up at that much money, even if it means dealing with the Byakugan."

Ayame flinched as the woman standing across from her said her name. She knew about the Kurama, mostly through conversations with Naruto and Hinata. But insulting someone's name was usually a good way to get them angry, and angry people tended to make mistakes.

"Kurama, Kurama. I think I've heard that name before. Something about being good with genjutsu. Must sting to have lived in a village filled with people who could see through most of your techniques. Though the Uchiha being wiped out must have made you happy."

Even through the mask the woman was wearing, Ayame could see the anger flashing in the woman's eyes as she began raving.

"The Kurama should be the most powerful clan in this village, not the shadow it has become. But no one would listen to me. Yakumo should have propelled the clan to power. But this village, even my own clan turned away from that power, feared it; tried to destroy it. They claimed it was too dangerous. They should have sought to harness it, to unleash it against our enemies! Even after she overcame the Ido, the clan still slid deeper into obscurity. One day that will change. One day the Kurama will lead this village!"

Ayame mentally rolled her eyes. _Geez, this woman's crazy!_ But keeping her going was giving Neji time to appear. Unfortunately, the young girl's luck was about to run out. The woman suddenly stopped speaking, shaking her head and locking her gaze onto the genin before moving to attack.

"None of this matters to you. This is just a stepping stone to my ultimate goal. Time to die, child."

Ayame threw herself to one side, barely managing to dodge the barrage of poisoned senbon that tore past her and destroyed two of the clones she had formed. Passing a kunai to her single remaining clone before pulling out one of her own, the young girl primed herself to move. She was confident she could deflect at least some of her attacker's needles. But dealing with senbon, especially poisoned ones, was delicate. It would be better to dodge if at all possible.

What followed could only be described as a game of tag from hell. The Kurama woman would hurl barrage after barrage of senbon at Ayame, as the genin barely managed to dodge each attack, needles whistling past her by only the slimmest of margins. Dodging behind a convenient tree, the girl caught her clone's gaze, and the two nodded as one. Attempting to fight someone like this from a distance was suicide. Even with the extra clone's help, she wouldn't be able to deflect her attacks forever. Their only chance of surviving long enough was to close with her, and hope she could hold her off with taijutsu long enough for help to arrive.

Racing forward, both Ayames began to barrage their opponent with blows, switching randomly between open palmed Gentle Fist strikes and closed fist blows, hoping to catch her off guard. Ayame was fast enough to dodge most, but not all, of the missing-nin's blows, and she was constantly frustrated in her attempts to strike her opponent. A back hand strike slipped past her guard and caught one of the girls on the temple, which promptly exploded into a cloud of smoke, revealing the original.

Jumping back from the much taller kunoichi, Ayame wiped some blood away from her mouth where the Kurama shinobi had slammed a fist into her face. She couldn't keep this up. Her enemy had the advantage in speed and reach, and Ayame was slowing. Coughing, Ayame threw herself forward once again.

_Hurry, Neji. I can't keep this up much longer._

* * *

Neji Hyuuga couldn't help but swear to himself. He and Tenten's training session had gone over time, and now it would be very late by the time he checked in on Ayame and made his way back to the compound.

Of course, Neji wasn't extremely upset about that. He always seemed to enjoy spending time with his teammate. She was calming, almost. Sure, she loved to blow things up a little too much, and she got too much pleasure from nailing him with some projectile, be it a remark or one of her many sharp and not so sharp objects. _Why she started throwing spoons at me is beyond my understanding._

Neji's thoughts kept him occupied as he walked toward Naruto and Ayame's home. Tsunade had said that Naruto and Hinata should be back from their mission any day now, and to be honest, Neji was kind of glad. He did like the young girl, but she liked pranking people a bit too much. Gai and Lee had been constantly tearing around the village searching for the blonde jonin, until they had finally slowed down enough for someone to tell them he was on a mission. And Neji was looking forward to going more than a day without some form of projectile based prank coming his way.

Neji stopped on the street outside of the house, looking it over as he did so. The house was dark and was it not for a slight sound echoing from the backyard, he would have assumed the girl was already asleep. But something about that echo told him something was not right.

Activating his Byakugan, Neji was just in time to see Ayame hurled through the fence and impact into a tree with a sickening crunch. Swearing, the robed Hyuuga bolted down the pathway up to the house as fast as he could, using a series of chakra enhanced leaps to go over the top of the house. But he was too late.

Neji watched in horror as the unknown shinobi leapt up in the air, and a veritable hailstorm of senbon needles made straight for his cousin's student. The girl had pulled herself upright, a look of utter desperation etched into her face. Expecting to see Ayame collapse, riddled with needles, Neji was taken aback as he watched her project slim blades of chakra from her palms as she called out the technique name.

"Protection of the Eight Trigrams: Sixty Four Palms"

Neji watched in amazement as she began swiftly deflecting the incoming needles with the chakra blades. But after watching for a few seconds, he swore and sent a barrage of kunai at her attacker as he moved toward where the figure was most likely to land. Ayame's chakra had begun faltering after only a few seconds. She was obviously tired, and her training for this technique seemed incomplete. Neji could see the blades fluctuating wildly, barely being held together, and it was only a matter of time before the technique failed. Her attack thrown off by the sudden interference of the newly arrived Hyuuga, the Kurama missing-nin mock glared at him after landing back on the ground, gesturing toward Ayame.

"You're too late to stop me."

Neji suddenly focused on the young blonde, who was standing in front of a severely damaged tree, breathing heavily. But it took a few seconds for him to realize she was grasping her side, blood dripping through her hands. Letting go, the girl could only stare blankly at the bloody needles embedded into flesh before her eyes rolled up into the back of her head and she collapsed limply to the ground.

"Huh. I thought I had it."

Neji was not usually one for emotional displays. The Hyuuga was instead one for action. But his anger was evident as he narrowed his eyes and glared at his opponent, replying in a quiet voice that turned the Kurama's blood to ice. As much as she annoyed the hell out of the Hyuuga branch member, he still cared about the young blonde girl. She obviously meant a lot to Hinata and Naruto, and Neji had gradually come to feel similarly. She was just like her adoptive father, bright and outgoing. Just from the small amount of time he had spent with the girl during his nightly check-ins, he had come to view her almost as a niece.

Azumi had relaxed as the girl collapsed. After she gotten past the village's patrols thanks to the schedule she had been provided by her employers, she had been told they would help her exit the village as soon as the job was complete. Assuming the young Hyuuga who had turned his icy gaze upon her, was just putting on a show to cover his own back, the masked Kurama laughed lightly at his "act".

"The job's finished, Hyuuga. Stop glaring and let's make my escape look good before more ANBU get here. I have plans for this place, and getting killed now so your elders don't have to pay me isn't part of them."

Neji's gaze hardened even further at this information. The Elders where behind this. It sadly did not surprise the Hyuuga. But they would deal with that issue later. He had to deal with the here and now.

"You won't die here. That would only end your suffering. But when I'm done, you will wish I had killed you. Eight Trigrams: 128 Palms."

The speed at which he attacked was astounding, and the missing-nin could not even seem him as she felt strike after strike land on her body, each triggering a horrendous amount of pain as he forced her tenketsu points shut. As the man called out the number of strikes, she could do nothing but wonder what had happened. This had been an easy job. Get in, kill a genin, and get out. But now things had gone downhill fast. Only one word passed through her thoughts before darkness claimed her as the vicious onslaught of attacks continued on and on.

_Shit._

Neji pushed all of his fury into each attack, the strikes slamming the missing-nin's tenketsu points shut. Sixty four strikes would have been sufficient to incapacitate his opponent and prevent her escape. But that was not his goal. Instead, the Hyuuga branch member had something more in mind for Ayame's attacker.

Maiming.

Once he began to strike the specific sequence of tenketsu a second time, he flooded them with an enormous amount of chakra. As his attacks continued, Neji watched in cold satisfaction as her tenketsu were slow fused shut. This woman would never be able to use chakra again, not to mention the paralysis and weakness having those specific Tenketsu sealed shut created. She would live just long enough to give them the evidence against the elders that they need. After that, it was up to Tsunade to decide. Though being forced to live as a crippled and deformed shadow of her previous self make dying seem a mercy.

Letting the broken and battered body of his target fall to the ground in front of him, Neji turned and gathered up the still form of the young girl in his arms before rushing toward the hospital as fast as he could. Only one thought was on his mind as he pushed himself harder than ever before.

_Please, let it not be too late._

_

* * *

A/N: _Thanks once again to Gman391 and Bookworm702 for their excellent beta work. Thanks also to everyone who's left reviews for me, I greatly appreciate it. I always apreciate the feedback and hope you keep em coming. Also, as a heads up, due to an injury I'm down to one hand for a month or so, so updates are probably going to slow.

Next Chapter: _Aftermath_


	9. Aftermath

"Explain."

The room Sasuke was standing in was barely lit, the teen standing there with a stoic expression on his face as he was questioned by a figure hidden in the shadows against one wall. The Uchiha's face revealed nothing as he replied, describing what had happened.

"There was an intruder in the operations room. I confronted him, but he had been going over our plans and maps for some time."

Standing in the shadow and wearing a spiral mask with only a single eye uncovered, it was difficult for Sasuke to determine what the figure was thinking. But he could tell that Madara was tense. Apparently his ancestor hadn't expected to be found out here.

"And you let him escape? You disappoint me, Sasuke. Why did you not kill him immediately?"

"Don't insult me, Madara. It was a shadow clone. The man had no insignia on, and dispelled as soon as I had run him through."

Stepping forward out of the shadows, Madara was quiet as he spoke, but the menace in his voice was plain to hear.

"Then how do you know he was from Konoha? The men have orders not to take anything while inside Fire Country. Konoha would not dare go past their borders without considering the diplomatic consequences."

Sasuke continued to stare at the oldest remaining member of his clan, his mask beginning to crack, unveiling his anger and irritation.

"You are obviously mistaken, then. I know he was from Konoha because it was Naruto. The idiot had his hair dyed, but I know it was him."

Madara was quiet for some time, processing this information. That was unexpected news.

"We will have to change our plans. We are not ready to conquer the other villages. But with the majority of them back to squabbling amongst themselves, they will be too busy to worry about Konoha. It has been two years since we last made an appearance, and the Daimyos will not want to believe we have returned. Capturing the Kyuubi and destroying Konoha will give us the power we need to conquer the rest. Prepare the men; we will begin moving against them soon. Also, tell Kisame to see me. I have a job for him."

At these words, Sasuke's stoic expression was replaced with one of cold delight. He would not have to wait much longer. Konoha would be destroyed, and his clan would be avenged. A crazed light seemed to appear in his eyes as he turned and walked out of the room, a single word escaping his tight smile as he did so.

"Good."

* * *

Ibiki Morino was having a rather ordinary day. With most of the hidden villages staying to themselves or focusing their attention on other places besides Konoha, his job had been rather boring. True, the Torture and Interrogation unit still had plenty on their plate with an attempted infiltration, a few incredibly stupid civilians, the usual. To be honest, he was getting bored, though Inoichi's daughter kept things a bit lively. Anko was thrilled.

The older specialist gave a small sigh as he made his rounds. _Well, might as well get working on that paperwork._ But the bald man never got the chance, much to his joy.

"Ibiki, we got something. A new little friend for you to play with."

An ANBU agent had appeared in the door way, saving him from the hell that is paperwork. He was carrying a limp, bound figure over one shoulder. Ibiki gave a quiet sigh as he looked over the obviously unconscious woman. _Well, this is better than paperwork. Sometimes I think I'm too old for this shit._

"Dump her in a holding cell. What's the story on this one?"

"One Azumi Kurama. Just attacked a genin on the edge of town. Lady Tsunade wants this kept quiet."

Ibiki frowned as he took in this information as the ANBU placed the prisoner into an open cell. He knew of Azumi. She was a lower ranked entry in their bingo book, but one nonetheless. Good with genjutsu and poisons. The woman had fled Konoha shortly before the incident with the Kurama's heiress some years back. Something about wanting the clan to turn the girl's uncontrollable powers on the village's enemies. Felt the clan's fear of her was a weakness. When they had refused her, she held it against both the clan and the village. But she was a relative nobody compared to other missing-nin.

"Who was attacked, and what do we know?"

The ANBU, having deposited his burden, tensed behind his ceramic mask as he stood quietly before Ibiki, making his unease plain to the experienced interrogator.

"Ayame Uzumaki was the target. And according to the only witness, Neji Hyuuga, the clan's elders were implicated."

Ibiki swore loudly, already planning what he would do to this piece of trash. Attacking a genin was bad enough. Most were little more than kids. But what possessed them to open that particular can of worms? This could go to hell fast, so it was no wonder Tsunade wanted the incident handled quietly.

Ibiki was quiet for some time, eyeing the limp figure now lying on a hard slab in a cell, being tended to. A genjutsu specialist was an odd choice to attack someone with the Byakugan. While the missing-nin's skill with senbon would be enough to seriously injure the girl, there were much more efficient means of killing a young genin with Ayame's abilities. A ninjutsu or stealth expert would have been the obvious choice, depending on how they wanted it done.

So why had they picked this particular missing-nin? The unit head could think of a few reasons. The first was that this was meant to be a message. If the Hyuuga elders were behind this, they most likely wanted Naruto to know the young girl had been attacked. The incident outside of Ichiraku's some time ago had caused quite a stir, and there had been some uproar over the elders' petition that had been circulated by the Hokage. While the Uzumaki were still considered a minor clan with little actual political power, it had the backing of the majority of the major clans. The Hyuuga had lost face with that incident. By hiring a Kurama, they may have been hoping to turn suspicion onto the much weaker clan. After the heiress had overcome her… condition, the Kurama had been reconsolidating, rebuilding their clan. It was an extremely slow process, and the clan was in a delicate position currently. The elders must have wanted to punish the Uzumaki for the perceived insult and threat the girl's adoption created, as well as weaken a potential political rival before they could become strong enough to oppose them. The arrogant pricks obviously hadn't thought their pawn would be caught.

The older man swore once again as he saw the massive chakra burns peppering the woman's body. Finishing his work, the medic walked out and stopped beside the head interrogator as Ibiki addressed him.

"Shit. What the hell happened there? She's going to be worthless for a standard interrogation."

"Neji was the one who incapacitated her. It was his cousin's student that was attacked. You know he can be particularly vindictive."

The man snorted at this. That was an understatement if he ever heard one. But Neji's anger would be nothing compared to Naruto's when he found out what had happened. Even the scarred man shuddered to think of what horrors the teen would unleash on anyone who dared attack a person he considered family. The boy had gone to insane lengths to protect the village, even when so many of its citizens had treated them so poorly. For family? That would open a whole other level of hell for anyone stupid enough to gain his wrath. Ibiki's face hardened as he contemplated this before turning to the agent who had been waiting nearby.

"Fine. Get Inoichi in here to probe her mind, if you please. We need to confirm that information, and Tsunade's going to want a report as soon as possible. He's the best at that particular method and I don't want to keep her or Naruto waiting. Things are going to get interesting soon. The boy's not going to be happy about this. Tell Tsunade we will let her know when we find something out."

The ANBU nodded before disappearing in a swirl of leaves as Ibiki turned away from the cell and began heading for his office, grumbling to himself the entire way. _Why's Inoichi getting all the action lately?_

* * *

Naruto was getting fidgety as Konoha slowly came into view in the distance. He was tired, he was sweaty, and he was craving ramen. This mission had gone on long enough as far as he was concerned. Traveling at civilian speed absolutely sucked. From where they were, he could be in the village and downing some ramen faster than Lee could break into a rant about Youth. But he and Hinata had to stay with the convoy until they reached the hostel that was set aside for merchant use, so their counterparts could rejoin the group without raising suspicion.

The encounter his clone had had with Sasuke was weighing heavily on his mind as well. He had seen the hatred that had glowed in the Uchiha's eyes and had heard it in the words he had overheard. After Ayame had appeared, the shinobi could understand at least part of his old teammate's anger. Ayame was his family, and anyone who would dare hurt his family would regret it immensely. Just thinking about it made the boy tense. But blaming the entire village for what had happened? Wanting to destroy the entire place, all of those innocents, the myriads of people who were not even involved? That he could not comprehend.

Of anyone in the entire village, Naruto was the only one who could even come close to understanding that level of hatred. His entire childhood up until the academy had made sure of that. The villagers' hatred of "the demon" had dogged the boy his entire life. Even now, he still held a bit of anger over his treatment when he was young. But he hadn't let it consume him like Sasuke obviously had. Why? What had caused him to focus on that so completely?

Glancing over at Hinata, Naruto had an even harder time understanding Sasuke's actions. Iruka had kept him from focusing on the anger and hate with kind words and ramen. And while Hinata had been too shy to even talk to him much back then, she had always believed in him, and she had never been unkind. That had even changed when they had started training together and she had grown more comfortable around him. Sasuke had Sakura, Kakashi, and himself. Naruto's friends were incredibly important to the young man, so he could not wrap his mind around why the Uchiha had left his so easily.

Naruto shook his head as he thought about it. There had to be something he could do to convince his old friend to step off of the path he had chosen. But the more he thought about it, the more he began to despair. The boy squelched his despairing thoughts quickly. He wouldn't give up. He would do his best to truly convince him to change his path. After all, he hadn't faced down so many enemies and won by worrying about what would happen if he failed.

The blond was pulled out of his thoughts by Hinata as she tapped on his shoulder to get his attention.

Turning to look at her, he could tell she was as tired as he was.

"We are almost to the gates, Hiro. We should make sure we have everything before we get to the inn."

Naruto gave her a weak smile as she watched him with a slightly worried expression on her face. When he had explained to her what had happened to the clone, she had understood how conflicted he was. Sasuke had been almost a brother to him, and now he was threatening to destroy their home. That had to be hard for anyone to deal with.

"Thanks, Mai. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to crash. Once I get some food in me and write granny a letter, I'm getting cleaned up and going to sleep."

Hinata hesitated a bit before replying. She was just as tired, and her eyes were irritated by having to wear her contacts constantly. She was looking forward to getting rid of the things.

"That sounds great. Getting clean will be nice, and something different to eat would be good."

Once inside the gates, the group split up, Akeno giving some instructions before allowing the group to leave. The three of them walked together to the inn that the merchants would be staying at, the older merchant leader giving them a few questioning glances as they walked. Once they had found the inn and entered into a private room, the man gave the pair a smile as he said goodbye.

"I have to say, I'm very impressed with the both of you. You blended in well, and I hope that you got the information that you had been looking for. I'm sure Mai and Hiro appreciated the time off here in Konoha as well. Even if they had to stay inside the whole time."

Naruto laughed a bit as he shook the merchant's hand. Other than the near constant teasing he had undergone, he had come to enjoy the group's company. He was a bit sad to leave them.

"Thank you, Akeno. Your group's efforts have helped Konoha a lot, and I enjoyed the time we spent with you. Just keep the twins in line, eh? Those two are more trouble than I was when I was twelve."

Hinata couldn't help but smile as she thanked the man as well.

"Yes, thank you. Your group was very kind to us, and we will not forget you."

"Ha! Yes, those two never know when to quit, do they? But I think they will think twice for a while. That trick with the underwear? That was mean. Well, you two take care of yourselves."

Turning to Hinata, the man grinned at her at winked, causing her to blush as he continued speaking.

"I better go check on the other lovebirds. See you around."

Once Akeno had left, the pair immediately changed back into their normal clothes, which had been waiting for them in the room. While Naruto was in the bathroom, doing his best to wash the dye out of his hair, Hinata sighed to herself and pulled the contacts out of her eyes. _Oh, that is so much better._

"That must be a relief, huh, Hinata? I bet those things start to irritate you after a while."

Hinata jumped a bit as Naruto walked out of the bathroom, toweling his hair off. He had gotten most of the dye out, but his hair would probably have a red tinge to it for some time. She nodded, and gave a small smile as she replied to his question.

"Yes, they were starting to bother me quite a bit."

Naruto had a broad smile on his face as he listened to her.

"I bet. And it's nice to see your real eyes again. You just aren't the same without your Byakugan. I like them much better."

The girl blushed slightly at his compliment, before thanking him and changing the subject, pleased by his statement.

"So, what are you going to do now, Naruto? I suppose we should report to Lady Tsunade."

"Nah, we should have some time before she's expecting us. I'm hungry, so I think I'll go get some ramen before we go. Want to come?"

Hinata shook her head, smiling at him once again as she explained what she had to do.

"I would like that, Naruto, but I need to go let Father know I am back. You go ahead and eat, and we can meet to make our report afterwards."

"Okay. I'll meet you outside the tower in an hour then. See you later, Hinata!"

Hinata smiled a bit as Naruto leapt through the window and disappeared into the distance. Not much could keep Naruto from his ramen, and even the events of their mission hadn't kept the optimistic man down for long. It was nice to see him at least partially back to his normal self. He had seemed down for sometime after he had received the clone's memories. He hadn't been himself afterwards, and Hinata had wanted to talk to him about it, but they hadn't been able to. Sighing, Hinata began walking toward her home. _Maybe he will want to talk about it later._

_

* * *

_

Naruto felt a bit guilty at the relief he felt when Hinata had declined his offer to go to lunch. But as much as he enjoyed spending time with her, he really needed to talk with Ayame alone. Somehow he knew asking the ramen waitress about what he was thinking with Hinata sitting next to him might be a bit awkward. As he slid into his normal seat, he was greeted by Ayame's normal, bright smile. It was mid afternoon, after the lunch rush but before the normal evening busy period. Ayame was doing busy work, sweeping the front of the stand.

Placing his normal ridiculous order, the newly not-red haired jonin sat and fidgeted as he waited for his order, nervously glancing at the brown haired woman working nearby. Naruto couldn't help but feel a bit out of sorts as he thought about how to broach the subject with his old friend. Ayame was the one girl he knew that would answer this kind of question seriously without threats of grievous bodily harm or teasing. Much, anyway.

Finally, after Teuchi had delivered his first order and had asked what he had been up to the past couple of weeks, Naruto turned toward where Ayame was working, rubbing the back of his head as he did so.

"Um, Ayame? Do you have a minute?"

The brunette looked up, a curious expression on her face as she examined the young man before her before setting the broom aside and sitting down next to Naruto.

"Sure, Naruto. This is just busy work anyway. What's up?"

Naruto sat there for a few minutes, trying to think of what to say. Finally deciding just spitting it out would probably be best; he kept his eyes on the counter in front of him as he spoke.

"I need some advice."

Ayame's gaze traveled over the boy sitting next to her slowly, trying to decide what kind of advice he could possibly need from her. She was just a civilian girl who worked in her family's ramen shop. But she was willing to try, at least. After all, Naruto was almost like a little brother to her.

"Sure, I'll try and help. What do you want to know?"

The blonde jonin was quiet for a few minutes as he pondered over how broach this particular subject. Ayame was a girl, so she should understand, right? Taking a deep breath, the teen glanced over at his friend before speaking.

"How do you know when you're falling for someone, Ayame?"

The ramen waitress seemed taken aback by the question, and it took her a bit to recover and reply to the young man, a slight blush on her face.

"Well, that's kind of a hard question to answer, Naruto. Love's not really something that has an easy definition."

"Can you at least try? This has been bothering me for a long time. I just can't figure out how I feel about Hinata."

The young woman took a deep breath as she began speaking once again.

"Well, Naruto, I'm not really experienced in the area, but I've heard all sorts of things about love. It can be all consuming, a pair of people driven by passion-"

Naruto reddened and cut her off, obviously embarrassed.

"Whoa, whoa, you lost me, Ayame. This is starting to sound like one of Ero-sennin's perverted books."

Ayame's face quickly matched his as she replied, obviously embarrassed by his statement.

"I wasn't saying that was all there was to it, Naruto; let me finish! Passion and desire is a small part of it, but that can't be the only basis for love. Like I said, I've heard all sorts of different things. But it's different for everyone. How do you feel when you're around her, Naruto?"

Naruto's face brightened slightly as he thought about his friend, though it still bore signs of confusion.

"I guess... I feel happy. I get this warmth in my chest, and it's like I could do anything while she's there. It's strange, but when I think about her saying she loves me, I feel like I could take on the world."

Ayame gave Naruto a small smile as she listened to him talk. She was still surprised at how oblivious the boy could be. But he wasn't dumb. He would figure this out eventually.

"There's an old quote that my Dad used to use all the time when Mom was still alive. 'Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.'"

Naruto blushed as he thought about that for a few moments. It made sense. He was still amazed at how Hinata's words had such a huge affect on him. Her confession during Pain's invasion still rang through his mind. The teen spoke up, urging her to continue.

"How did your Dad know he loved her? I never knew my mom, and what little I know of my dad doesn't help much with this."

Ayame's smile became melancholy as she quietly spoke; thinking about what he had told her when she asked.

"Dad says that when you love someone, you would do anything for them. Anything so they would be happy, even if it was at the cost of your own happiness. So here's a question for you, Naruto. Say Hinata found someone else that she loved with her whole heart, with her whole soul. And he loved her exactly the same way. Would you be willing to step aside and let them be together? So she would be happy?"

Naruto was unusually quiet as he pondered that question. He had put his own life and well being ahead of his friends so many times that it should have been a no brainer. If Ayame had asked if he would die for her, he would have said yes in a heartbeat. But she hadn't. And the question she had asked was suddenly one of the most difficult he had ever tried to answer. It made the questions from the first part of the Chuunin Exams look like first year academy work.

"I-I don't know, Ayame. I want to say yes. I should be able to just say yes. But thinking about Hinata being together with anyone else? It's…painful. It feels like someone is shoving a kunai through my heart. Like a part of me is dying."

The waitress's expression didn't change as she replied, her voice still soft.

"Think about it, Naruto. Once you have your answer, you'll know if you really love her or not."

Ayame stood and went back to her work, leaving Naruto to his thoughts. As he sat picking at his ramen while deep in thought, the spiky haired teen was caught off guard when an Anbu agent suddenly appeared behind him.

"Uzumaki, your presence is needed at the hospital. Lady Tsunade is expecting you."

Naruto turned as he examined the figure. It was just a standard Anbu agent. But something about how tense he was as he stood there in front of him told the blonde jonin something was not right, and it filled him with a sense of dread.

"What happened?"

* * *

As Hinata made her way toward the clan compound, she was surprised how happy she was to be back. Even with all of the garbage the elders had put her through or the issues their anger toward Ayame and Naruto had caused, she was glad to be home. The mission had been more tiring than she had expected. It would be nice to see Ayame again, though she hoped the young girl hadn't gotten out of control with her pranks while they were gone.

Her daughter had been on her mind almost constantly during their mission. She had worried about her safety while they were out of the village. That had been part of the reason she had asked Neji to check up on her. The other part was that she and Naruto had worried that she might get a bit ahead of herself while training and accidently injure herself.

The older Hyuuga was pleasantly surprised to see her sister waiting just inside the entrance to the compound. Hanabi had just become a genin this year, so they hadn't seen each other as much as they used to, and Hinata missed being around her. Her little sister did take after their father quite a bit, always so calm and collected, but Hinata's attempts to bond with her had slowly paid off. They were closer than they used to be, even if Hanabi was still a bit stiff and formal. She even seemed to enjoy her and Neji's company when they were all in the village. The fact that the older girl was able to fight on par with Neji probably helped, but the girl liked to think Hanabi understood how much she meant to her. Hinata gave the girl a bright smile as she greeted her.

"Hello, Hanabi! How are you doing? How long have you been back from your mission?"

The smile slowly trailed off as she saw a hint of worry on her sister's face. Something wasn't right.

"I'm fine, sister. But be careful. The elders have been happier lately, and you know as well as I do that they are never happy for good reasons."

Hinata nodded slowly as she tried to fight down a feeling of worry. What were the elders up to this time? Were they seeking revenge after her public outburst that day? Hinata had the feeling that whatever it was, it affected her directly, and it wasn't good.

That feeling intensified as she moved toward the meeting room her father usually occupied to handle clan business, Hanabi in tow. The last thing she expected to see leaving the office was the three clan elders, a smug look appearing on their faces when they saw her. That expression confirmed Hinata's fears, even as they greeted her and her sister politely.

"Good afternoon, Lady Hinata, Lady Hanabi. It is good to see you back safely from your mission."

Returning their greetings, Hinata entered the meeting room with an uneasy expression on her face, followed by her sister. That changed to one of fear as she saw the shocked expression on Neji's face while he sat near her father.

"Hinata? What are you doing here? Didn't you report to Tsunade when you reentered the village?"

The girl shook her head as she looked questioningly at her father, who's normally stoic face bore a trace of worry as he met his daughter's gaze.

"N-no. We returned a bit early, so Naruto was going to get something to eat while I came here to change and let you know we were back. Why?"

Hiashi was silent as he watched his daughter. She understood something was wrong, that much was plain. The Hyuuga clan elder gave a gentle sigh before answering her question, his anger plain on his face.

"There was an incident last night. Ayame was attacked, and she is in the hospital. Lady Tsunade has been tending to her herself, but she is in bad condition. You should have been-"

Hinata bolted out of the door before her father had finished speaking, her face already filled with anger and fear. Hiashi spoke quietly as she left, addressing Neji as he did so.

"Follow her, Neji. Naruto will not take what has happened well. You may be needed to help calm him."

"If anyone can calm him, it would be her. Besides, Naruto would not harm Hinata."

"Intentionally, no. But when he is overcome by emotion?"

Neji's eyes widened at this statement. Hiashi was right; he might be needed. The Hyuuga clan head's face was hard, his anger obvious to the young man he was speaking to.

"I fear for our clan, nephew. What the elders have done? It is unforgivable. This could be the end of the Hyuuga. In more ways than one."

Hanabi, who had been listening to the entire conversation, was visibly upset, a state that was unusual for the normally stoic young girl. The elders had done something horrible to her older sister's student. Hanabi had only met the girl once or twice, but she was pleasant enough. The young girl could tell that her sister cared for Ayame greatly, almost viewed her as family. Hanabi was not surprised that the Elders would do such a thing. They were ruthless, and anyone who would willingly mark their own family with something like the seal would not be above an assassination attempt, even on a young girl. But the fact that they had done it to her sister, the one other member of her family who had always truly loved her, angered the girl. Her emotional control was compromised, and Hiashi noticed her expression, and turned his gaze on the small girl.

"I can see your thoughts troubling you, daughter. Speak your mind."

"We need to do something about what has happened, Father! If the elders are allowed to get away with this, they will become even more dangerous than they already are."

Hiashi's eyes were calculating as he replied to her.

"What would you have done then, Hanabi?"

The girl only hesitated slightly before answering his question, her voice cold as she replied.

"Mark them. Remove them from their positions and burn the seal into their skin. They risk us all with their actions. Naruto could destroy the clan in the blink of an eye."

Hiashi shook his head slowly as he took in what Hanabi suggested, a chiding expression appearing on his face.

"Think, daughter. That course would have many consequences. Remember your lessons."

Hanabi was quiet as she contemplated what he had said, before she looked up and met her father's gaze once more.

"That would be an admission of guilt. I understand."

"Good. But you are correct, Hanabi. Something must be done to address what has occurred. I underestimated the Elders' reaction to the girl's arrival, and now she has paid the price for that error. We must address this. Immediately."

* * *

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN SHE MIGHT DIE?"

Tsunade was standing in the waiting area of the hospital, her own anger only eclipsed by the fear and fatigue she was feeling at that moment. She, Hinata and Neji were the only ones aside from Naruto in the room. The older blonde woman had known Naruto was coming well before he had ever burst into the hospital. The amount of killing intent boiling off of him was so extreme she was sure the entire village had felt it. Just being this close to the young man was one of the most intense experiences the Sannin had ever encountered.

Naruto stood across from her, his face locked into an expression of fury and fear. His normally bright blue eyes were a blood red and outlined in black, the pupils a vertical slit over even deepening whisker marks. His canine teeth protruded even more than usual, adding to his already feral appearance. Blood dripped from his tightly clenched fists, his sharpened finger nails cutting deep into his palms. His gaze was locked on the eyes of the woman he viewed as a grandmother, demanding an answer. Tsunade replied quickly, her face hard as she glared back at the boy.

"She's in critical condition, Naruto. The senbon she took to her side were coated with some kind of poison. It's circulating through her body, attacking her organs. If Neji hadn't gotten her here so fast, she would have died. As it is, she still might. We are working as hard as we can, but its hit and miss. She's in a coma right now."

Hinata had tears running down her cheeks as she watched Naruto begin to break down, her heart breaking even more as she pleaded with him. She was just as anxious about Ayame as he was, but Naruto hadn't reacted to anything like this since Pain's attack. It frightened and worried her.

"Naruto, please calm down! There was nothing you could do; we couldn't have known this would happen. This isn't helping Ayame at all, and you are going to cause a panic if you don't calm down."

Naruto turned to the indigo haired girl, and froze as he took in her tear stained face, the fear he could see etched onto it forcing his mind to clear quickly. _I'm scaring Hinata. She's right. This isn't helping._ It had been so long since the Kyuubi's chakra had caught him unaware like this that he hadn't understood what was happening right away. And to be honest, he didn't care. Some BASTARD had tried to kill Ayame. Had tried to kill his family. The boy began fighting to regain control, to suppress the chakra he could feel burning its way through his body even now. Closing his eyes, the Kyuubi's jailor began taking deep breaths, clenching and unclenching his hands. It was several minutes before the three standing with him felt the evil chakra and Naruto's overwhelming killing intent begin to abate. After one last shuddering breath, the whisker marked teen opened his eyes to reveal an icy blue in place of the red. Naruto turned his gaze to Neji, his voice quiet as he questioned the Hyuuga.

"What happened, Neji? Who did this?"

Neji's own fear was quickly overwhelmed by his anger as he described how he had found Ayame fighting the missing-nin, how she had been hit, and his conversation and decimation of the attacker. Naruto's expression never changed from one of barely controlled fury, and Neji and Hinata found this almost as frightening as his previous display. Neji shook his head as he finished his recounting, his own feeling of guilt coloring his words.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. If I had gotten there sooner, she wouldn't have been hurt. This is my fault."

Naruto spoke, his voice quiet as he replied to Neji, his eyes blazing as he did so.

"No. It's not. Hinata's right, you couldn't have known this would happen anymore than we could. She had ANBU guarding her, but even ANBU can be caught off guard. You aren't to blame, Neji. But we know who is."

Naruto turned to Tsunade, his expression cold as he addressed the Hokage.

"Give me one reason I shouldn't parade those three across the top of the Monument and throw them off myself. Give me ONE GOOD REASON. Conspiring to murder a fellow shinobi is damning enough. But those bastards attacked my family. Why shouldn't I go kill them myself, right now? They need to pay for what they did!"

Tsunade's face transformed into a snarl as she replied to the irate teenager, her reply a slap in the face to Naruto.

"Damn it, Naruto, you think we don't know that? But there's more at stake here than your daughter! You need to think about what exposing them would do to the entire clan and the village as a whole."

Neji nodded slightly as he added his thoughts.

"The Hyuuga have many enemies, Naruto. They would use this to push to censure the whole clan. We would be stripped of everything. The clan grounds, real estate holdings. Any and all financial agreements with the clan would be null and void. We would be little more than civilians. And our clan would never be able to recover its position. Not with the smear on its reputation this would bring. The Hyuuga would gradually disappear. And that is only the material consequences."

Naruto thought about this for a few long moments. The family losing its assets didn't upset him. As far as he was concerned, most of Hinata's stuck up family could use some humbling. But really thinking about it, he could see the point. Losing its clan status would effectively destroy the Hyuuga. The individual members would be forced to support themselves, and the clan would fragment. As a part of the general population, the seal would come to an end as well. Tsunade wouldn't allow it to continue once it was in her jurisdiction. The Byakugan would spread throughout the village.

And while that idea appealed to the young man, he knew there were other consequences. From his sessions with Tsunade, he knew the Hyuuga were a potent political figure in the clan council. And as much as he hated to admit it, it was important to Konoha's stability that they remain so. They were a counterbalance to the other clans. Most of the clans had a rather…frosty viewpoint concerning the Hyuuga, and that division kept the clans from becoming too powerful. Without the Hyuuga, the Hokage's power could be diluted by a united clan council. The Hokage could become nothing more than a figure head, and the village would be weakened because if it.

Naruto grimaced as he remembered some of his own experiences as well. The villagers, both civilian and shinobi, could take out their anger over this betrayal on the clan members as well. The inhabitants of the village wouldn't be stupid enough to physically attack them, but there were other ways to make life unpleasant. Exorbitant prices. A blind eye to abuse. "Accidents". Naruto liked to think otherwise, but he knew the public was incredibly fickle. Viewpoints and opinions could swing wildly, and this would be no different than any other instance.

Looking at Neji as he thought, Naruto knew he couldn't do that to him. He had promised Neji he would change the Hyuuga. Not bring about its downfall. Naruto couldn't bring himself to go against his word like that. True, that would break them free of the seal. But the Hyuuga as Neji knew it would no longer exist.

As his gaze shifted to Hinata, Naruto was even more certain that he couldn't expose the elders' actions. The indigo haired girl cared deeply about her family. Having it fall apart around her like that would be devastating. He couldn't do that to her. But something had to be done. Their actions can't go unpunished. But he knew Hinata wouldn't like it. The man made a decision. If she asked him not to, he would leave the elders' fate up to Tsunade.

Naruto watched his friend as she dried her eyes. He had spent so much time with her it wasn't hard for him to guess what she was thinking. She cared about her family deeply. But they both knew this couldn't be let go. If you couldn't trust your comrades in your village, who could you trust? Naruto also knew she viewed Ayame as family just like he did. And she was a shinobi. They both were aware that they may have to deal with things that they weren't going to enjoy. But they were a necessary evil. Naruto met her gaze and tilted his head slightly as he spoke up, the question to her left unspoken as he replied to Tsunade.

"You're right. Acknowledging their actions publicly is too dangerous. The village and Hinata's family would never recover. But something still has to be done. If people think they can get away with this kind of thing, it will put the whole village at risk. Attacking a fellow shinobi of Konoha can't be ignored."

Hinata returned his stare, discomfort plain on the girl's face. As the two kept their gazes locked, she seemed conflicted. Several times she opened her mouth to protest, only to bite back what she was about to say, as if she had answered her own question in her mind. It was quiet for several minutes before she seemed to make up her mind. Naruto could tell she wasn't happy with what was going to happen, but she understood why it had to be done. She swallowed, before slowly nodding once.

That single motion was all the confirmation the teen needed, and he surprised everyone as he turned and walked for the door, a plan already in mind. Tsunade called after him, a worried expression on her face as she did so.

"Where are you going, Naruto? You should stay close in case I need to find you."

The blonde turned his head and glanced back at them before he exited the hospital.

"I won't be far. I have plans to make."

* * *

A/N: Another chapter done, and yay, Naruto's finally figuring something out. Ive since hit over 100 favorites, which is awesome, thank you to everyone who has favorited/reviewed my story. Once again, reviews are greatly appreciated and keep me motivated, so keep them coming! I've been writing, so the next chapter shouldn't be as long a wait, thanks for being patient.

Next Chapter: _Consequences_


	10. Consequences

Kumotta sighed gently to herself as she settled into her seat outside her favorite tea shop near the Hyuuga compound. She came to this place every few days. The proprietor here had some of the best tea she had ever tasted, but she had been unable to coerce his sources out of him. But that was only a matter of time.

Everything was going smoothly for the Hyuuga Elders. The demon container had not been seen outside the hospital since yesterday. The fool of a Hokage was occupied with her duties, and they had Hiashi and his daughters exactly where they wanted them.

The Hyuuga matron leaned back as she took a small sip of her tea. While his unwillingness to divulge his suppliers irked her a bit, she had to admit that the man knew how to treat his customers. The service was quick, and they knew exactly what she wanted before she had even completely sat down. Though today it seemed to be a bit off.

Turning her thoughts away from the subpar tea, she couldn't help but watch the crowds passing by with a smirk on her face. Soon, the Hyuuga would be more powerful than ever. With the Uzumaki otherwise occupied, the clan would be much easier to bring back under control. They had allowed Hiashi to put off declaring an heir long enough. There was still time to salvage the younger. If Kumotta had anything to say about it, Hinata would bear the curse mark. That little bitch had embarrassed her in front of the entire village, and her obvious feelings for the demon were disgusting. She would dare sully herself by associating with that...thing! She was rarely seen inside the clan compound anymore, making appearances only when tradition or propriety demanded it. Even now she was most likely at the hospital, watching over that mar on her clan's honor.

The older woman coughed as she felt her throat begin to itch. It was a bit unsatisfying that the missing-nin had failed to kill the girl outright, but from what she had been told, the woman's poisons were devious; it was only a matter of time. She was content to sit back and watch the demon and the failure suffer as the girl wasted away in front of them. Though the amount of time Tsunade and her apprentice had been spending at the hospital was worrying.

Deciding it was time to get back to the compound, the woman made to stand and leave the table she was sitting at. But something was wrong. Kumotta's eyes widened as she realized she couldn't stand, couldn't even speak. Her breathing became more and more labored as her throat began to swell, and she could do nothing but sit there, locked inside her own body. When she realized her Byakugan wouldn't activate, she panicked, her eyes frantically moved back and forth as she desperately searched for any sign of help in the limited field of vision she had available. What was going on? The first thing that popped into her head was they had given her jasmine tea by mistake. _"But my allergy shouldn't be this severe. What's going on?_

It was then, her gaze locked across the street, that she saw the familiar face of the clan head, his gaze focused on the Hyuuga matron. Kumotta's felt her hopes raise. Hiashi would be able to tell something was wrong. He would get her the medical help she would need, and she would be fine. The older woman stared at the man, her eyes confused as Hiashi made no attempt to draw attention to her plight. He only returned her gaze, his eyes cold. Kumotta's already labored breath caught in her throat as his stare seemed to bore into her soul, laying bare all of her sins before her. She had overstepped her bounds, and Hiashi's expression made it plain. She would die here.

Hiashi was quiet as he watched the scene across the street commence. Kumotta suddenly collapsed across her table, finally drawing the attention of those around her. It was no surprise that none had noticed her condition till now. Hiashi made no expression as they finally began calling for a medic. But it was too late. Hiashi's attention was drawn away from the commotion across the street by the sound of a quiet voice swearing from a nearby alley. Moving closer, the Hyuuga's leader was greeted by the surprised expression of Naruto Uzumaki. His anger and disappointment was quickly hidden before he spoke. What intrigued the older man was the small packet that was suddenly tucked back into the teen's sleeve. It appeared the boy was capable of more subtlety than he had believed.

"Lord Hiashi! I was just...what are you doing here?"

"Simply passing by, Uzumaki. It appears one of my clan's elders has had an unfortunate accident."

Naruto's expression became calculating as he examined the older man, before Hiashi spoke again.

"I believe it would be prudent for us to discuss some things, Uzumaki. Walk with me."

Naruto was left standing as the older man walked away. It was obvious that Hinata's father had beaten him to the punch. It was upsetting that Hiashi had already taken care of at least one of the elders. Those bastards had attacked his daughter. His family, not Hiashi's. But Naruto wasn't going to dwell on it. This threat was gone. That was all that mattered to him. His mind made up, the blond haired teen moved to catch up to the Clan leader. He would listen to what he had to say.

* * *

Usugurai was silent as he sat alone in his room in the clan compound. Word had just reached him that Kumotta had died of a severe allergic reaction from her tea. He shook his head as he sat and quietly reflected on his fellow elder. She had lived a long life. and to be struck down by an allergy to jasmine? It seemed an unfitting end to someone who had done so much to protect and empower the clan.

After taking a moment to reflect on everything she had done for their clan, the man pushed such sentimental thoughts from his mind. Kumotta was dead. She was no longer of any use to the clan, and therefore, giving any more thought to her fate was a waste of valuable time. With her dead, his own power would be enhanced. Perhaps this was for the better. The woman had always seemed to be the weakest link in their circle of power. With her out of the way, Kuragurai and he would be able to secure the clan's future even faster.

Usugurai tended to be rather arrogant. He never even considered the possibility that their cat's paw had been captured; no matter what the rumors circulating through the village might say. He and the other two elders had been confident their plan went off without a hitch. The woman they had hired to take care of the girl had not been heard of since, though he had heard reports of a female figure being seen by the border patrols. So assuming the mission had been accomplished, he had arranged for her payment to be deposited at the arranged dead drop location. Paid from the clan's petty cash, of course.

The elder Hyuuga did not react at all as a branch member quietly entered into the room and deposited a tray, complete with tea and cup, at his side. The man didn't think twice about accepting the drink; he was in his own clan's house and an elder, one of the leaders of the clan. It wasn't like he had any allergies to worry about. Usugurai was content to sit and enjoy his tea. He was getting old. Maybe once they had put Hiashi and his spawn back in their places he would be able to retire. Spending his time relaxing with the clan in strong hands would be enjoyable. The man put the feeling of impending doom that suddenly overcame him out of his mind. What did he have to worry about?

His plans for the future were quickly cut short as he suddenly felt sick to his stomach. But after a few minutes, the feeling passed and the man went back to enjoying his tea. It must have been a simple stomach upset. But a few minutes later, he gasped in distress as a blazing pain shot down his arm, the cup slipping from his grasp to shatter against the floor. Usugurai could feel his heart suddenly begin beating erratically, and he began having difficulty breathing. _What is happening to me?_

Light headed, Usugurai attempted to stand and walk for the door, hoping to call someone for help, but only managed to stagger a few steps before he fell to the ground, clutching his chest as a cold sweat broke out across his body. He had never had this kind of health problem. His heart was strong, healthy. It was inconceivable for him to fall to such a thing!

Laying on the floor, the older man was unable even move as he watched the door to his room slide open, and a pair of sandal clad feet entering into his view.

"H-help...me."

A cold and familiar voice spoke to the man, and his blood ran cold as he listened.

"Help a child murdering traitor? I think not. You have proven yourself to be beneath even the notice of the Branch. You attacked a fellow shinobi of the Leaf. You attacked my cousin's student. No. You will lay there until the Shinigami claims you thanks to a normal heart attack, brought on by some poorly made tea. You should have known that much caffeine isn't healthy for a man your age. But you will know why. Not even an Elder can be allowed to get away with such a betrayal."

The dying man could do nothing, not even summon up the strength to form a hand seal to take the upstart boy with him as he watched the feet belonging to Neji Hyuuga retreat through the door and out of view. The pain's constant growth washed away all of the man's awareness and he was gone, a look of fear frozen onto his face.

* * *

Krueger was in pain.

The Hyuuga elder was lying in a darkened hospital room. For the Hyuuga to be struck down by an illness such as this? It was unthinkable. He had been perfectly healthy just a few short weeks ago. After Kumotta and Usugurai's deaths, the man had been cautious. There had been hardly any public reaction from the Uzumaki after the girl was attacked. He had been disappointed that she had not been killed outright, but it kept the boy busy standing watch over her. But the man was suspicious. One did not live to be as old as he was without a healthy sense of paranoia, especially in a shinobi village. He had taken to preparing his own food, watching carefully for any threat to his life. But even he had to sleep, and the older man had not even stirred as a small, inconspicuous fly bit him in the middle of the night a few days after the attack on the girl, before the bug seemed to disappear in a small puff of smoke.

At first, the symptoms had seemed rather minor to Kuragurai. It had started as an intense itching focused around the bite that he discovered some days later. Assuming it was a small reaction to the bite, the elder had ignored it. It would go away with time. He was a Hyuuga. Indulging in something as barbaric as scratching was beneath him.

But the itch had not gone away. It had intensified, spreading out to his entire body, and most disconcertingly, to his eyes. His arms and legs began to swell, and he had broken out in a rash on his thickening and ever more wrinkled skin. The Hyuuga clan's private medical specialists had exhausted every path they could think of. None were capable of helping him. But he had remained strong, refusing to give Tsunade the satisfaction of him seeking her help. It was not until later that his stubbornness had been destroyed by the one thing a Hyuuga fears most.

He had gone blind.

It started slowly at first. His vision had slowly begun to lose its definition, the shapes around him becoming more and more blurry as time passed, before his vision had gone dark. It nearly drove him mad. Even now, only his indignation prevented him from slipping into insanity. The man could not believe it. He had gone from the head of the elders of a mighty clan of shinobi, to a blind and diseased old man, lying powerless in a bed, unable to do anything as his body decayed around him.

It was impossible. He was Hyuuga. And he had been laid low by a parasite, transmitted to him by a bug bite. Lost in his thoughts and indignation, the man did not hear the door slide open, and was unaware he had a visitor until the voice spoke.

"How are you feeling?"

The old man started, bolting upright in his bed, fear running across his face.

"Who's there? What do you want?"

"I'm just checking in on you for Hinata. I'm sorry Tsunade couldn't save your sight. "

Kuragurai lay back in the bed, recognizing the speaker. Anger and hatred sprung to his face as he snarled at the source of the voice.

"Spare me your pity, demon. It is beneath me to accept such from the likes of you. I am a Hyuuga, a member of the mightiest clan in Konoha. You are nothing but gutter trash, just like that brat of yours."

The blond figure standing in the room quietly shook his head, his calm beginning to slip as he hissed his words at the old man.

"What good is your clan to you now, old man? Do you see any of your clan sitting here, watching over you while you sleep and worrying about your well being? Ayame has her friends and family thinking about her, worrying about her. Your clan? They have already replaced you. Your mighty eyes are gone. Your power is gone. Everything that is precious to you has been taken away. For all your pride and arrogance in your blood, you were powerless to prevent it. Just like I was to save my daughter."

Something in the old man chose that moment to snap, and he began to scream and rage at the boy who he assumed was still in the room, who had dared to speak to him in such a matter. But by then Naruto had already left, ignoring the bellow of rage behind him. The old man was meaningless now. This threat to his family and village was dealt with. He had been removed from power, and was unlikely to ever leave the hospital again. Before he had even left the hospital, the man was forgotten, his mind on other things.

_Now, I have a meeting with Tsunade to get to._

* * *

Hinata was worried. It had been weeks since she was attacked, and Ayame was still in a coma. Tsunade and Sakura had done as much as they could for the young girl. They had managed to isolate and neutralize the poison rather quickly, but the damage it had done to her was still healing. Either of the two medics were always nearby, usually Sakura, since Tsunade had obligations as the Hokage. But as each day passed, Hinata couldn't help but worry more and more. What if she didn't wake up? Hinata shook her head and squelched that line of thought. It would only make her feel even worse, and Naruto would pick up on her unease.

Hinata had to admit they were both a wreck. She and Naruto spent as much time as possible watching over Ayame, standing vigil in her hospital room. The blond haired man was adamant about guarding her himself, and Hinata agreed with him. While the Elders had been dealt with and were no longer a threat to the young girl, her guardians were taking no chances. Multiple times Tsunade or Sakura had walked in to find either one or both of them asleep in chairs next to her bed. Even when the older woman would force them to go home, Naruto would always leave a shadow clone on hand, just in case.

Leaning back in her chair, the girl ran her pale gaze over the young genin lying in the bed next to her, searching for any sign of life. Naruto was with Tsunade, discussing the information their mission had turned up. There had yet to be any sign of movement from their enemies, but knowing what general area they were in it was only a matter of time before something happened. Especially with Naruto running into Sasuke while investigating the base his clone had found.

But somehow, that threat just didn't seem important right now. Hinata couldn't get over the fact that her own family had done this to Ayame. It was horrendous. She was just a girl. She wasn't a threat to the clan at all. Not anymore than she or Hanabi were. They were so insistent that the seal was needed to protect the Byakugan, but they had allowed her to become a genin. To go on missions out of the village. So the attack had simply been a means of preserving their power, or righting a supposed insult. The thought that her own family could do such a thing, and to her own daughter at that, made the young woman sick to her stomach.

The door to the hospital room opening pulled the Hyuuga girl from her thoughts as the figure of the blond man she had come to know so well entered.

"How's she doing, Hinata? Any change?"

Hinata shook her head, her gaze meeting Naruto's as he stopped at the foot of the bed.

"Nothing obvious. Sakura said she's improving, though. But who knows when she will wake up?"

Hinata hesitated slightly, before she gave Naruto a small reassuring smile that was marred slightly by her own worry.

"I'm sure she will recover soon, though."

The man nodded slowly, his face the picture of a worried parent. It was a surprising thing to see on such a young person. True, Ayame was only six years his junior, but that didn't matter, to him or to Hinata. Naruto sighed before lowering himself into a chair next to Hinata.

The pair sat in silence for some time, Naruto leaning his head back against the wall behind him while Hinata sat fidgeting nearby. They tended to be quiet while sitting in Ayame's hospital room. Sakura or one of the other medics made it clear that if they couldn't keep it down, they couldn't stay. Not that Naruto was in much of a mood to make noise while he was there. Hinata was a bit surprised when Naruto broke the silence, his normally loud voice subdued as he addressed her.

"Thanks, Hinata."

Hinata gave the man she was sitting next to an appraising look before she replied. What did he mean?

"Um, you're welcome. But for what?"

Naruto gave a quiet sigh before he turned to meet her gaze, his blue eyes focused on her own.

"For being here. For being such a good friend. You know, I've always known my friends were important to me. I would do anything for any of them, and its comforting knowing you would do the same for me despite everything that's happened between us. I hated myself for avoiding you for so long, but you didn't hold it against me. Well, as much as I had expected, anyway."

Naruto smiled ruefully as he rubbed the spot she had tagged him on that day. Hinata for her part remained silent. That time period had been incredibly painful. She could still feel a flicker of resentment appear deep down when she thought about it. It had hurt, to have the object of her affections, the person she had looked to for strength and the will to continue, suddenly avoid her. But just as that resentment threaten to flare up, that night in the training ground resurfaced in her mind. The fear radiating off of him like heat from a fire as he confessed his actions to her. The self loathing as he confessed his fears to her. His disbelief as she rebuked him, pointing out the flaws in his thinking. And finally tears running down his face as he begged her forgiveness. The pain she had seen in his blue eyes that day smothered her resentment. Naruto would never forget what he had done. She couldn't bring herself to hold it against him even more.

"And you kind of became something I had been missing. I haven't been this close to anyone since Sasuke left. You're my best friend, Hinata."

Hinata felt her hope follow her gaze to the floor. _He thinks of me as a friend._ She had been dreading those words. But at least she was still his friend. That would have to be enough. She suddenly felt horrible for thinking such things, with Ayame lying unconscious so close. Here they were in Ayame's hospital room, and she was worrying about herself. Some of what she had been thinking must have leaked out onto her face though, because Naruto reached over and tapped her forehead, a subdued smile on his face she lifted her gaze once again.

"But things kept happening that made me think. Between the time we spent together training and just talking, I got to know you. And then Ayame came along."

Hinata watched Naruto as he glanced toward the bed holding the young girl. He was obviously worried about her, though his face was happy as he thought about what she meant to him. That was something she admired most about Naruto. He was a creature of emotions. But her family wasn't like that. Every member of the Hyuuga had it beaten into them that it was beneath them to openly show their emotions. To cry, to laugh. But Naruto was different. He didn't try to hide everything he felt from everyone behind an emotionless mask. His anger burned like a raging fire. His sadness spread out from him like a heavy fog, almost visible to her eyes. But when he was happy, that was something else entirely. It was infectious. It spread, like warmth from the sun. His smile seemed to pierce her very soul. That was part of what had turned a silly little girl's crush into something more.

"I enjoyed spending so much time training her with you. Before I adopted her, I never would have expected how she would affect me. She's my family. I would do anything for her. And I know you feel the same way. You care about her just like I do."

Hinata glanced toward the figure of the young girl lying in the hospital bed, and her face seemed to soften more than Naruto had ever seen.

"She's my daughter, Naruto. O-our daughter. I couldn't think of her as anything else."

Naruto's gaze rested on Ayame as well, and he nodded, a smile on his face as he did so.

"Yeah. She's family. Knowing that she has someone else like that, especially after everything that happened to her, is great. And then...we went on that mission."

Naruto turned his attention back to Hinata, his face blushing a bit as he did so. Hinata didn't know what to think of this at first, but she quickly matched his expression as she listened.

"I've never had a girl tell me she loves me like you have. To be honest, it confused me. But when we were on the mission, waking up with you in my arms just felt…right."

Hinata felt like she was going to die of embarrassment. _I can't believe he knew about that!_ But he didn't mind; in fact, he liked it. Hinata felt her hope begin to rise again. _Could he really...? _Naruto paused for a second, trying to think of what to say as far as she could tell. He finally gave a small sigh before he began speaking again.

"I'm not the greatest at these kinds of things. My childhood made sure of that. I actually went to Ichiraku that day after we split up to talk to Ayame, and what she told me made me think. I figured out something."

His eyes seemed to bore into hers as he talked, the deep blue orbs staring right into her soul. She loved his eyes. They were always so warm, so happy. Nothing like her family's cold stares had been. Even after her Father had changed, his eyes were still cold compared to Naruto's. It was just how he was.

"Being Hokage has always been my dream. At first, it was just to make the village acknowledge me. To prove they were wrong about me. But that changed. I had people who did acknowledge me. Who cared about me, despite everything. I wanted it so I can protect those precious to me. But after a while, something else changed. Whenever I pictured it, it would be me, standing atop the Monument with the entire village spread out before me, with all my friends cheering for me. But lately, the picture has changed. "

Naruto smiled a bit, his expression changing to one of contentment as he addressed the young woman sitting beside him.

"Now, you are standing with me. And I know that if it meant you wouldn't be, I wouldn't want to be Hokage."

Hinata opened her mouth to protest this, an upset expression on her face as she did so. She didn't want that. It was his dream. He couldn't give that up. But Naruto cut her off before she could voice them, brooking no protest from the girl.

"There are other ways to protect our home, Hinata. Hokage was just the first one to pop in my head. I'd rather be left a jonin and stay with you and Ayame than I would be the Hokage and not have you around. You and Ayame are the most important people in my life."

Naruto took a deep breath as he paused for a moment.

"When I was at Ichiraku, Ayame asked me a question. At first, I couldn't answer it. But after what has happened and all the thinking I've done, I have an answer. And that tells me something."

"What?"

"That I love you. You and Ayame mean the world to me. I wouldn't give that up for anything."

Hinata's breath caught in her throat at those words. I love you. Those three words rendered the young woman speechless. She had dreamed of hearing him speak those words. And now it was real. He had said them. To her. Hinata could only sit there and stare at him for a few minutes, while Naruto watched her with an uneasy expression on his face. Her silence must have worried him, because he began babbling, thinking he had done something wrong.

"I'm sorry, Hinata, this wasn't the time for this. I should ha-"

He was stopped when Hinata moved closer and, much to his surprise, threw her arms around him and pressed her face into his shoulder, tears running down her face as she spoke, her words muffled by his jacket and a slight stammer returning.

"You don't know how much I've wanted you to say that, Naruto. W-when I thought you had rejected me; it hurt me so much I could hardly stand it. And then you came back. We were friends. I didn't want to risk that. I-I thought I could be happy just being your friend."

Hinata lifted her face and met his startled gaze with her own. She could see his thoughts running across his face as plain as day. Everything he had said was the truth, and it filled her up with a joy that she had dreamt of, but never expected to feel.

"But spending so much time with you, getting to know you, I just couldn't help it. No matter what I did, what I told myself, I couldn't keep myself from falling in love with you again. Your smile, your encouragement. Every kind word or deed you have done. It just made me love you even more. I've hoped, p-prayed that this day would come for so long. B-but I was starting to think it wouldn't."

Naruto had been caught off guard by her sudden movement, but his surprise didn't last. He returned the hug she had enveloped him in, a gentle smile on his face as he held her, her face pressing against his chest once more. For some reason, the blond man suddenly felt like everything was going to be alright.

"You don't have to wait any longer."

* * *

The west border of the Land of Fire was relatively quiet. The team of ANBU operatives, who had been stationed here since the intelligence retrieved by Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuuga had told them what direction their enemies most likely be coming from, were tired. They had been watching the border for a few weeks now. Waiting. If the information was accurate, the enemies forces was mostly genin level enemies.

But the ANBU knew that they wouldn't attack head on. They were Shinobi, not samurai. That wasn't their way. True, sometimes it came down to an open fight between forces. But a large portion of their wars were fought in the shadows. Infiltration, assassination. Cutting off supply lines and weakening your enemy came first. You learned their weaknesses. Then struck en masse where it would hurt them the most.

That was their job right now. If they began moving up their plans, they enemy would begin attempting to infiltrate the village soon. There were many choice targets they would most likely attempt to hit. Clan Heads or heirs. The elite Jonin. The Hokage. Sooner or later, enemy Shinobi would begin moving across the border. And they would be ready.

One of the group, a tall male Shinobi wearing a stylized boar mask, had been stealthily patrolling the same portion of the border for some time. He had yet to actually see any signs of life other than the local fauna going about its business. Though the agent had to admit that it could be worse. At least he wasn't suspended from duty like the agents that had been guarding the Uzumaki girl that night. They were still waiting to find out what would happen to them for their slip up. But the patrolling agent's boredom was about to change. The lone agent's attention was caught as he heard someone moving quietly through the trees ahead of him, heading deeper into the Land of Fire.

Boar was careful to remain undetected as he approached the intruders, springing lightly from tree to tree, his own foot falls whisper quiet as he moved.

Boar landed quietly and melded into the shadows of a tree as he came within sight of his targets. It was a group of four people, and judging by the way they moved, they were shinobi.

"Keep it quiet as we move, men. We are just here to test their borders. If we are spotted, we retreat. We aren't here to start a fight. Not yet."

Boar was a bit surprised that the enemy would expose themselves like this. They must have assumed that Konoha was already aware of their existence and plans (which it was) and decided it would be better to take a more active approach. It was a risk, but a sound one.

The ANBU agent watched as the man he determined must be the leader of the squad led them through the trees. He seemed nervous. And judging by his and his teammates' reaction, they probably had every right to be. He couldn't have been more than Chuunin rank, while the rest of his squad was high genin if anything. They were doing a decent enough job staying quiet. But it wouldn't fool anyone higher than a chuunin.

So as the ANBU readied a handful of shuriken, he couldn't help but wonder. What was the point of sending such a subpar team into the Land of Fire? They would just be caught and killed or captured. That left one of two options. They weren't as bad as they were acting to be. Or they were a distraction, and viewed as expendable. Boar shrugged to himself as he took aim at the four enemy shinobi before him. He would find out which it was soon enough.

A quick flick of the wrist and four shuriken leapt from his hands and raced toward their targets. Only the leader of the squad seemed to notice anything at all, and actually managed to turn around as a shruiken imbedded itself into his knee while the others fell to the ground dead, shuriken imbedded deeply into their skulls.

Boar was impassive as he emerged from the trees to stand over last living man, who had fallen with his back to a tree. He was swearing loudly, gasping as he held his destroyed knee. As the man looked up at him, the ANBU could tell he understood he wasn't going anywhere.

"Why did you enter our territory? What was your objective? Tell me and it will go easy for you."

Fear and anger glistened in the shinobi's eyes, as he frantically shook his head.

"I won't tell you anything, bastard! Konoha will fall, and we will be one step closer to domination."

The masked ANBU watched impassively as the man's hand snuck toward the pouch at his hip, most likely reaching for a kunai to silence himself_._ With another flick of his wrist, the masked man pinned the prisoner's hands to the ground beside him with a pair of shuriken. The man's cries of pain began anew, before Boar moved forward and clubbed him into unconsciousness. Quickly binding the man, the ANBU agent threw the figure over his shoulder and began heading for Konoha, mentally shaking his head.

_Not much of a distraction._

* * *

Yoshiro Hyuuga was bored out of his skull. The Hyuuga branch member absolutely hated border patrol. Running back and forth in front of a portion of the south east border of the Land of Fire had to be one of the most boring jobs a chuunin could be assigned. But with the sudden uptake in interest in the borders, they needed every man available to help.

As he and his team moved through the trees, he couldn't help but be a bit relieved to be away from Konoha at the moment, though. The events of the past few weeks were… unsettling to the young man. The deaths of two of the clan elders and the blinding of one had thrown the Hyuuga into chaos as they hurried to find replacements to take the positions. It was a mad house, and all of it had happened because of one girl. Yoshiro shook his head as he thought about it. Lady Hinata's student was a nice enough girl, and though none of them would say it, the branch was secretly pleased she escaped the seal. And none of them actually thought the elders deaths, or in Kuragurai's case, blinding, had been natural or accidental.

So Yoshiro was more than happy to perform the patrol, no matter how boring it got. It could be worse, he supposed. At least he hadn't ended up with gate duty. But that wouldn't stop him from complaining about it. Signaling for a stop, he and his two team mates dropped to the ground.

"What's up, Yoshiro? You spot something?"

The Hyuuga turned his gaze on his first teammate, a young woman named Meiko. Her black hair, which almost seemed to have a tinge of purple to it, was pulled to the side in a pony tail, her forehead protector tied loosely around her neck, the hilt of a tanto protruding over one shoulder.

"No. I haven't spotted anything. I just figured this was as good a place as any break, before we make one more circuit. We are at the farthest point from the border on our route, so we should be safe for the moment. "

His other teammate, Ran, a short bald headed man who looked like someone had added legs and arms to a barrel, nodded and moved to pull something out of his pack without uttering a word to either of them. Meiko rolled her eyes before she dropped the pack she was carrying and began doing the same. Looking over at Yoshiro, she began talking quietly as they found something to eat.

"So, Yoshiro, are the rumors I've heard true?"

"What rumors might those be?"

The woman hesitated a moment before she answered him, her unease plain on her face.

"That what happened to the elders wasn't accidental. Everyone's been saying that Naruto did it. But I don't know what to think."

Yoshiro was quiet for a few moments before he replied, his expression unreadable as he took a sip from a canteen produced from his pack.

"There's no evidence that it was anything but unforeseen occurrences. But Naruto considers the girl his family. If they really did instigate the attack, and if he really did orchestrate what happened to them…They got off light. I was on gate duty at the compound the day Lady Hinata and Naruto returned from a mission. I will never forget the look on her face when she rushed out of the compound and toward the hospital. I've never seen her look like that before. She was scared, and furious. It was unsettling. And then, I felt that power wash over the village..."

Meiko shivered when he said this, a look of fear running across her face.

"I did too. It was the most intense thing I've ever experienced. It was all I could to not to collapse where I was standing. Naruto's such a nice guy; you almost forget how powerful he is."

Yoshiro nodded his agreement before he turned his attention back to the task at hand. They needed to work quickly and get back to their patrol. Not that he was actually expecting to run into much out here. Standing, Yoshiro stretched his back before glancing at Meiko and Ran. Seeing his teammates finished, the Chuunin motioned back into the forest.

The three shinobi quietly melded back into the trees and resumed their patrol, Yoshiro periodically activating his Byakugan to search for intruders. For some reason, the Hyuuga couldn't shake off the feeling of being watched. But he couldn't find anything nearby to explain it.

Time passed slowly for the patrol team. It was quiet, almost too quiet. Their relief would be coming from one of the satellite posts strewn throughout the Land of Fire soon. All three of them were tired. They had been running their patrol paths randomly, but even that would only dull the boredom so much. The team immediately snapped to attention, however, when Yoshiro activated his Byakugan once again and froze on the spot.

A few quiet signals from the Hyuuga let the others know what he had seen. A signature, and what looked like a clone in the forest ahead of them. Neither was moving. And the signature was large. Incredibly large. The team began to slowly move forward, intent on checking out the figures. The fact that they weren't moving confused the man. Why would they just stand there? It was almost like they knew they were there. Like they were waiting for something... Yoshiro's eyes widened as he refocused his attention to the path ahead of him, just in time to see Ran land on a branch with a flaring tag stuck to the underside of it.

A deafening explosion echoed through the trees, and Meiko and Yoshiro watched in horror as their teammate was propelled through the air by the explosion before slamming into a tree trunk with a sickening crunch. The young woman moved quickly to her teammate, while Yoshiro checked for more traps, feeling sick as he berated himself.

_Damn it, what's wrong with me. I should have been watching for traps more closely. _

Seeing the area clear, Yoshiro took up position between his teammates and the figures they had been investigating, which were now rapidly approaching. It took only a few seconds before the two figures emerged from the trees, causing the two conscious Konoha-nin to gasp in terror as they identified their attacker.

Kisame Hoshigaki had not been seen in sometime. But he appeared to have changed very little from his description in the bingo book. His pale blue skin, small eyes and sharp, shark like teeth did nothing but add to the already intimidating appearance of the large man. Nor did the imposing sight of the huge, bandaged wrapped sword strapped to his back over the cloak he was wearing detract from it. The shark like man grinned savagely as he took in the sight before him, removing the sword from his back as he laughed aloud.

"Well, well. It's about time someone stumbled into my little trap. I was beginning to get bored."

Yoshiro's mind was running at a million miles an hour as he struggled to deal with what was happening, his fear paralyzing him in place for a moment. _Oh shit, we are so dead. What am I going to do? _Ran was down, and he and Meiko didn't stand a chance against a monster like Kisame. Struggling to get his emotions under control,His voice shook as he whispered to Meiko, his normal calm demeanor barely holding together.

"Take Ran and get to the outpost. I will try to hold him off as long as I can. He can't fight all of us at once."

Kisame gave a guttural laugh as he listened to the man. Yoshiro felt his hopes fall as he and watched the man standing before him form several more water clones, which quickly moved to cut off their escape, as the original hefted his sword and fell into a fighting stance, a feral grin on his face.

"I don't think so. It's been too long since I've had a decent fight. Sparring with that little whelp of a Hozuki can only get so far. You're not going anywhere. Not until I've had my fun."

* * *

A/N: Another chapter complete, and Naruto finally figured it out. As of this posting, I am at over 100 reviews, and well over that in faves and alerts. Wow. I never expected this response, but I am glad you guys are enjoying this. Please, continue with the reviews, I greatly appreciate them, and it keeps me motivated. A Net Cookie if you can figure out what Naruto nailed his target with.

Next Chapter: _Battles and Strategies_


	11. Battles and Strategies

"I don't know what's going on with him, Shino, but I don't like it."

"You should not be so hasty, Kiba. While I am as worried about Hinata's well being as you are, jumping to the wrong conclusion will not help anyone."

Kiba shook his head as he walked next to his teammate, Akamaru at his heels. The pair was heading for a mission assignment, and Kiba was being his normal bullheaded self. Shino for his part was still the usual, incredibly hard to read man he always was, his face almost completely obscured by dark sunglasses, a high collar and a hood. Kiba rolled his eyes at his teammate.

"She's been spending a lot of time with him, even more than usual. I understand that he is her student's adoptive parent, but don't you think it's a bit strange how much time they were spending together before the attack? Seriously, you don't see something wrong with that? He goes from avoiding Hinata like the plague to being all buddy buddy with her? I don't like it. And there's something about that kid that bothers me."

Shino's head turned slightly and he focused his gaze on his teammate, his expression unreadable, as always. The stoic man's stare unnerved Kiba, and it was a few moments before Shino replied.  
"We have already discussed Ayame in detail before, Kiba. The large amount of time she spends in the presence of either can explain her scent's resemblance. "

"Yeah, that's a possibility. But I just don't buy it. I'm still going to ask him about it."

Shino shook his head slightly as he walked beside his teammate.

"While I share the same concerns for Hinata that you and Kurenai-sensei do, I must insist on a tactful approach. Pressing Naruto with such questions while Ayame is still comatose would be unwise. Now is not the time."

Kiba sulked for a bit as they approached the tower, before agreeing with Shino.

"Fine. Let's hurry up and get our assignment."

Checking in with the guards outside Tsunade's office, the two quickly entered and stopped before the Hokage's desk, each giving a small bow before examining their leader. Tsunade was leaning forward in her chair, her eyes blood shot as she worked on completing some paperwork.

"Greetings, Lady Hokage. We have reported as instructed."

Tsunade looked up at Shino's words, before quickly finishing what she was working on and turning her attention to the two shinobi before her.

"Good, I have a fairly simple task for you two."

The blonde woman shuffled through the mess on her desk for a few moments before lofting a pair of scrolls toward the two men, which Kiba deftly caught. The feral shinobi immediately had a bad feeling as he examined them. Both were sealed with the standard courier type seal, meant to show it had not been tampered with, and were most likely booby trapped with the standard issue genjutsu. _Aw man, not this._

"I need you two to deliver those scrolls to the Daimyo and to Ebisu."

Seeing Kiba rolling his eyes, Tsunade flicked a pencil at him, which imbedded itself into the wall behind him after he barely managed to dodge it.

"Don't give me that, Kiba. With the confirmed threat and the border incursions we have been fighting off, I cannot afford to send this any other way. Normally this would be a genin team's job. But they are all currently assigned other missions, and the two of you should be able to cover each other's backs and get there and back quickly."

Kiba shot Shino a look, but stayed quiet as they listened to Tsunade complete the brief. It was just a report run, with a check in with Ebisu, who was acting as a Liaison to the Daimyo, of what was going on. Not exactly what Kiba had in mind, but they would get it done and get back quickly.

"I want you two to leave as soon as possible. And keep an eye out for anything unusual out there. Dismissed."

The two young men, and one large dog, acknowledged their orders before quickly moving off to prepare. It would only take a few minutes for them to gather up what supplies they needed before moving quickly for the gate. Shino made no mention of their being sent on a simple courier mission. Kiba, on the other hand, couldn't keep from complaining as the two left through one of the villages main gates.

"Aw man, courier missions freaking suck. Let's get going so we can get back and get a real mission. Nothing exciting ever happens on these dumb things."

* * *

Tsunade sighed as she watched the two young men leave. She still had one more briefing to go, and she wasn't particularly looking forward to this one. Naruto could be incredibly stubborn, especially where Ayame was concerned. She had yet to awaken from her coma, and though Tsunade was sure it was only a matter of time, Hinata and Naruto were still worried. The pair was constantly together, watching over the young girl, and while Tsunade thought it was sweet that the young man had finally figured out how he felt about the Hyuuga girl, it was causing other problems. Hiashi had not said anything about the pair's relationship, but there had been a few awkward questions being asked by other parties. They had enough problems with the incursions and attacks by Akatsuki, though it would only be a matter of time.

Turning her attention back to the reports in front of her, Tsunade busied herself as she waited for the two Shinobi to arrive for their briefing. She was not waiting long.

Sakura arrived first. The young woman's pink hair was tied back by her forehead protector as always, a small smile on her face as she greeted her teacher. While they exchanged pleasantries as they waited for the final shinobi to arrive, Tsunade's thoughts were on how far the young people had all come. When Sakura had first approached her, she had been...well, she had come a long way. Sakura was a powerhouse in combat, able to crush almost anything with a single blow. She was nimble, able to dodge aside from nearly anything. Tsunade smiled slightly as she thought about her student. She was an amazing shinobi, and a fine medic. The last Senju was proud to call Sakura her student. She had surpassed all her expectations.

"Um, sensei, who are we waiting for? I understand you had a mission for me, but you didn't mention sending someone with me."  
Tsunade rolled her eyes as she shrugged her shoulders.

"The mission is for something the both of you have been involved with in the past, and if the reports are true, sending you two is necessary. Naruto should be here soon."

Sakura nodded once, a thoughtful expression on her face as they went back to waiting. Tsunade couldn't help but be a bit melancholy as she thought about Naruto. Jiraiya's student had surpassed everything she had expected as well. He was most likely the strongest shinobi in the village. But he didn't act like it. Naruto didn't let his power go to his head, or color his views of his friends. Few things did. Naruto had a heart the size of the Hokage monument. He was the perfect definition of a true friend. Earn his trust, and he would walk through hellfire and back for you. The expression she had seen on his face when Hinata was nearby only reinforced the kind of person he was. If he would walk through fire for his friends, Tsunade could only guess what he would do for someone he loved.

_Minato and Kushina would be proud._ Tsunade had been one of the few people Naruto had told what had occurred when the seal had nearly failed that day. The fact that Minato had put such a failsafe into his son was just like him. He found a way to do anything. Even cheat death in some form so he could see his son, if only for a few minutes. Tsunade sighed to herself. If only Kushina could see him now. Or Ayame, for that matter. She could only imagine the look on the fiery redhead's face if she knew she had a granddaughter that was part Hyuuga. She had always said the Hyuuga had sticks shoved up their asses so far they could taste woodchips. _Well, other than Hinata's mother._

Sakura was thinking about something else. That night she had spent at Naruto and Ayame's home with Hinata had been rather surprising. She had still been a bit surprised that Naruto of all people had adopted a twelve year old girl. He was so dense, he hadn't known Hinata loved him until she nearly died telling him. How could he possibly handle Ayame?

But he did, and watching his and Hinata's interactions with the girl, it had surprised her even more. Ayame looked at Hinata like she couldn't believe she was there. When she didn't think anyone was looking, the girl would stare. Around Naruto, it was even stranger. She genuinely loved him like a father. She didn't see him as a stranger who had pulled her out of a horrible situation and given her a home. Sakura could tell that first and foremost, Ayame saw him as "Dad". Every time he appeared, Ayame would perk up and smile broadly, like he was someone she hadn't seen for years. Sakura couldn't help but feel a bit out of place that night. True to his word, Naruto had slept on the couch, staying out of the way most of the night. But there was just something that made her feel like she was intruding on something. And her own interactions gave her the strangest feeling Ayame had already known more about her than even Naruto or Hinata's descriptions of her could provide.

The door finally opened, revealing the scowling form of Naruto. He obviously wasn't happy about being here, and wasted no time voicing that opinion.

"So I'm here. Let's get this over with, Granny. The sooner this mission is done, the sooner I'm back. I want to be here when Ayame wakes up. I don't want her to be alone."

"Why do you think I've only been sending either you or Hinata out at one time, Naruto? I'm not so evil that I'd force you to leave her alone. Now stop being an ass and pay attention."

Naruto's scowl deepened slightly before it disappeared. He seemed to accept that explanation, and apologized after taking a deep breath.

"Sorry. Hinata and I are just worried about her, and it's hard not to get nasty about it."

Sakura gave her teammate a reassuring smile, her eyes soft.

"Don't worry about it, Naruto. It's nice to know Ayame has plenty of people who care so much about her."

Naruto nodded, a small smile on his face before he moved to stand next to Sakura, facing Tsunade.  
"So, what do you need, Granny?"

Tsunade scowled a bit at the "Granny" but ignored it. She doubted he would ever stop calling her that, no matter how many concussions she gave him. The blonde haired woman slid a small map across the table to the two.

"You remember the mission your team preformed under Captain Yamato several years ago?"

Naruto stiffened slightly, before nodding along with Sakura.

"We were going to capture a spy Sasori had in Orochimaru's ranks."

Tsunade nodded, before continuing on, explaining what had happened.

"Yes. The base you found has stood abandoned ever since then. With the damage that had been done to it, there was not much left to examine after Orochimaru cleared out of there. Once the joint team from Kusa and Konoha that was sent afterwards to examine the remains cleared out, monitor seals were placed. There has been no activity since then."

Sakura spoke up first, her expression concerned as she took in this information.

"Something tripped the seals, then?"

Tsunade nodded once again, her face serious as she replied.

"Yes. Two days ago the monitors were tripped by an unknown force. Kusa has sent a request for another joint team to check it out."

Naruto's face hardened as he questioned Tsunade, his thoughts plain.

"Akatsuki?"

"We aren't sure. But whoever they are, we need to deal with it. While we are mostly sure there is nothing left of the snake bastard's work for them to use, we can't afford for anyone to use that base. You two and the team from Kusa should be able to handle most anything you run across. So, your mission is this. Recons the base, determine who or what is there, and deal with them as you see fit. Gather your things and leave as soon as possible."

Sakura was quiet as she processed the information. It had been a long time since that ill fated mission to Kusa. Sai and Yamato had had other assignments for some time, since Sakura and Naruto had made jonin. Sai had joined the ANBU as an official agent in the wake of Danzo's death, and as far as she knew, he had been working with Yamato. But thinking about those two brought memories rushing back. Watching Sasuke wound Yamato. Drawing his sword as he prepared to run Naruto through. Sakura quickly squelched those thoughts before they could affect her anymore. Shaking her head, she and Naruto exchanged glances, a grim expression on Naruto's face. Nodding, they both moved to leave, Naruto pausing and addressing Sakura before leaping out the window.

"Meet you at the gate, Sakura. I gotta go get some stuff and let Hinata know I'm gonna be gone."

Tsunade picked up an empty bottle at hand and expertly winged it out the window after the blond haired jonin. A few seconds passed before a crash, followed by a faint cry of pain drifted in through the open window. Getting up and quickly leaning out the window, Tsunade shouted after Naruto.

"USE THE DOOR, DAMN IT!"

Sakura gave a short laugh before she moved to leave in the more conventional manner. At least that much hadn't changed.

* * *

_Soon._

That one thought was all that kept its owner from attacking the man standing across from him. It was all that was keeping Sasuke from destroying the entire mess and taking his vengeance now. But Madara kept delaying.

"My patience is running thin, Madara."

"You must hold your anger, Sasuke. It is only a matter of time until Konoha falls."

Sasuke turned away from the masked figure, his hatred boiling forth at his ancestor's nonchalance. His voice dripped with anger as he spat at Madara.

"Konoha has gone unpunished too long, Madara. Do not expect me to keep waiting much longer. I will have my revenge against them, and even you cannot stop me."

The younger Uchiha, facing away, missed the flash of anger in his ancestor's single visible eye. Madara warped out of existence, and before the younger man could react, he felt a sharp point pressed against the back of his neck. Sasuke froze as Madara quietly spoke, his voice a low hiss of cold anger.

"You would do well to cultivate your patience more, boy. I have been waiting for the opportune moment since before you were even a thought. You know nothing of the path of revenge compared to me. I was one of the founders of that accursed place. I stood against the Senju before the villages even existed, and fought Hashirama at the Valley of the End and was defeated. When the time comes, I will have my own vengeance. Do not be stupid. Attacking a foe such as Konoha head on would be a fool's errand."

Sasuke remained silent as Madara was speaking, before he pulled away, turning to face the much older Uchiha.

"Hmph. Even they cannot stand against the power of my eyes."

"Your arrogance will be your undoing. True, you possess more raw power. But you lack experience. I have not had my full power since The First Hokage defeated me. But I easily use your overconfidence against you. A simple flash bomb and kunai. You are dead. A fistful of dirt used at an opportune moment. You are blinded. Dozens of Uchiha have fallen to tactics such as these and that was at the hands of simpletons compared to the enemies you face. You will have the container of the most powerful of the Bijuu, as well as Konoha's elite standing between you and your goal. What makes you think you will be any different? Were it not for my interference, you would be dead at the hands of the Raikage. We are fortunate the majority of the villages believe us destroyed by Danzo and the farce they called raids, or we would stand no chance against their forces now."

Madara stalked forward, moving closer to the man standing across from him, speaking as if explaining something to a child, a note of disappointment coloring his words.

"We are shinobi, Sasuke. We must fight as such. We may have them outnumbered, but they are well prepared. They are better trained. We must strike their weak points; force them to fight on multiple fronts. We will destabilize them. Knock them off their footing, and they will fall all the sooner. Then you shall have your precious revenge."

"Fine. What are you planning?"

"You will stay here."

Anger flashed once more in the young man's eyes, but before the outburst that was brewing could happen, he was cut off.

"Be silent. You will stay here and prepare for what we discussed earlier, and assure that Konoha remains cut off from their allies. Suna and Ame must not be allowed to know what is happening until it is too late. I will be taking care of the next step personally."

* * *

"Yosh, they are coming, my friends; let us move out!"

A green blur bolted across the landscape, moving quickly toward the group of enemies coming their way, followed by a small force made up of two four men chuunin teams. Lee had been assigned to work with the ambush squads along one stretch of the border, and destroy any forces they encountered. This was the first target that Lee had set his sights on. The bushy browed shinobi and his teams had been observing them over the border for some time, and they were sure this group was up to something.  
At first, they hadn't given the small group of enemy shinobi moving on the other side of the border much thought, other than to keep a close eye on them in case they decided to make a move. But as they watched, the group gradually began to grow in number. It had grown from a small team of genin and chuunin level shinobi, into a small force that if left alone could give their border stations issues. They were going to do something about that, before they lost any more of their men.

Lee circled wide around the group of enemies, doing his best to keep quiet. The teams he was working with were still amazed at how quickly and quietly the strangely dress teen could move. Against this large a group, Lee would have to rely upon inhuman speed and the element of surprise to win the day. As one of Konoha's heaviest hitters, the taijutsu master would probably be able to handle most anything. Moving quietly, it took Lee several minutes to get into position, on one side of the formation of enemies, his team taking up position just out of detection on the opposite side. They would only have a few seconds to sow as much chaos as they could while the enemy was off guard. But now, they were ready.

The small force, which appeared to be made up of four four man squads and a Jonin, had begun moving quietly toward the border. For the most part, they seemed to believe they were unobserved at the moment. The faceless forces were all dressed similarly in an attempt to blend in with their surroundings. A group of civilians would probably never notice them. Lee and his men, however, were the farthest thing from civilians.

The first indication that the Akatsuki forces had that something was happening was a flash of green along their right flank, followed by a series of screams as men were hurled bodily through trees, slamming to a halt with a sickening crunch and falling still. A second flash and on the opposite side of the formation, another series of sickening crunches as bones were shattered echoed through the trees. As if a signal had been given, the teams who had been following Lee began to bombard the enemy with kunai and copious amounts of exploding tags. A third of the Akatsuki's men fell quickly, taken out by Lee's opening sweeps, or downed by the chuunin's explosives.

The leader of the force, a taller, burly looking man, was quick to react, calling out to his fighters before they could break, and formed a series of hand signs.

"Damn it, you bastards, get it together and attack! Doton: Doryūheki!"

The man opened his mouth wide, and a stream of mud erupted forth and formed a wall to block a large portion of the incoming projectiles and explosives. That was enough to break his forces out of their shock, and they took to the trees and began clashing with the Konoha shinobi. The sound of ringing steel, detonations and screams of agony filled the air as the fight began in earnest. The earth user who had broken the Konoha-nin's initial attack threw himself into the fray.

"Doton: Doryūsō"

The man slammed his palm against the ground, and a short distance away, a portion of the ground condensed into a sharpened spear and slammed upward. A Konoha-nin was caught unaware by the attack and was unable to dodge completely. The sharpened tip slammed its way into his leg, shattering bone and tissue. A grim smile spread across the man's face as he tore into Konoha forces like a whirlwind and another shinobi fell to his attacks.

"Doto-"

The shinobi was suddenly cut off by a fist slamming into his face with incredible force, sending him flying across the newly formed battle field. With a crunch, he slammed into one of his own men, snapping the unfortunate fighter's neck as the much larger man slammed the two of them into a tree. With a groan, the unknown earth user untangled himself from the now lifeless body and stood up, spitting out blood and most of his teeth.

"Ugh, what the hell was that?"

Before he could even look around, a second strike slammed into his gut, doubling him over and causing him to cough up even more blood.

"Surrender now, my foe, lest you force me to do something most unyouthful!"

The Akatsuki jonin straightened up, and caught sight of his opponent for the first time. He was not expecting the figure clad in green spandex that stood a short distance away. Lee had a hard expression on his normally bright face as he stared down the battered jonin. Coughing, the man spat out a glob of blood onto the ground between them.

"If you actually think I'm going to give up, you're sadly mistaken. Doton: Domu."

The man quickly formed hand seal and his skin darkened, taking on a stony appearance as he slid into a fighting stance. Lee shook his head at the man's refusal to give up. From what he had seen, each and every one of the attacking forces refused to willingly surrender. Whether that was due to loyalty or something more sinister had yet to be determined. But Lee had other things to worry about right now. He had his orders, and this wasn't a friendly spar. While the man released his technique, Lee quickly bent down and released the catch on one of his leg weights.

Lee had been wearing his weights for so long he was unaware how far beyond heavy they were to normal shinobi. Gai had always warned him to be very careful how and when he removed them. But he had also given him some other advice, pertaining to this kind of situation in particular.

His opponent began to move, and in a single fluid motion, Lee hopped upward and with a swinging kick hurled his weights directly toward the man as hard as he cold. The earth user, having no prior knowledge of Lee's insane training practices, simply saw an average sized set of training weights rushing at him, and made no effort to dodge, confident his armored skin would shrug off the blow. That would be his last mistake.

The insanely heavy set of weights slammed into the man with an unholy amount of force. He was thrown backward and ploughed through multiple trees before he struck the ground, churning up the ground behind him for some distance. Not even his opponent's earth technique could stop the chakra enhanced training implement from crushing his ribcage. Lee quickly retrieved his weights from the now motionless figure, before turning to take in the scene around him. The Akatsuki shinobi had been decimated. None were left standing. Unfortunately, the larger number of enemies had allowed them to overwhelm several of Konoha's number.

The intact members of the squad dropped out of the trees directly beside Lee, awaiting his orders. They had lost one of their number outright to the enemies counterattack, and one was seriously injured. The medics back at the outpost would most likely be able to stabilize him enough to return him to Konoha. Lee spoke, his voice subdued as he watched his forces move to retrieve their comrade's body. The normally exuberant young man couldn't help but feel the loss deeply. But they were shinobi, and this was always a possibility.

"Let us return to rest and prepare. I shall take our wounded comrade ahead so he may be treated. Let us not let the others' sacrifice be in vain."

* * *

Shikamaru couldn't help be a bit pissed at himself as he looked over what information they had about the enemy. The lazy jonin was not actually saying anything as he ran his eyes over a map of the continent that was pinned against one wall of a briefing room he was working out of. But for those that knew him, it was plain to see he was deep in thought. _I had to say something. I just had to notice the holes in Naruto's story. Why did I have to take such a troublesome course of action? Naruto and Hinata obviously knew what was going on. I didn't need to worry about it. _

Shikamaru heaved a sigh as he continued examining the map. It wasn't like he didn't have enough to do right now. As if his genin weren't bad enough. But, he did have a promise to keep, and if Tsunade insisted he take a team before he had an apprentice he would have to deal with it, no matter how troublesome it was. Besides, it would be years before Kimiko was old enough to start shinobi training.  
The map before him had pins laid out on it in a seemingly random pattern. Near the northwestern border was a series of marks corresponding to known incursions, where the enemy had either been captured or wiped out. Spaced out across the borders were another series of pins, and there were more there than Shikamaru liked.

Those pins were the last know location of missing or destroyed teams. Shikamaru understood that losses were inevitable in this kind of situation. But they were under attack by an enemy they knew little about, other than their reasons behind their attack. They were still uncertain what Akatsuki wanted to use the Bijuu for, or even how. The information they had received after the meeting between the Kages was rather sketchy. Supposedly, Sasuke had attacked the convention to get to Danzo, and Madara had interfered to prevent the younger Uchiha's death before they had both disappeared without a word. The young Nara sighed to himself._ I supposed it would be a bit much to expect them to just tell us their plan out right._ And while Danzo's death had most likely prevented some serious issues, it had also caused several more.

Shikamaru numbered their forces in his head and did a quick calculation. Even with the additional forces Danzo's ROOT division provided after his death and the program's take over by the village proper, they couldn't continue fighting like this. Konoha's shinobi were superior fighters, and had some of the best tacticians in the world, but in the face of their enemy's superior numbers, things were going to get difficult.

Konoha had one serious disadvantage. They had multiple objectives to protect from attack. While they had multiple heavy hitters that could act individually, such as Naruto, Kakashi, and Gai, there was only so much those people could do at a time. Naruto could literally be a one man army with his prodigious use of Shadow Clones, but even a stamina freak like him would tire after too long. While their opponents seemed content to simple try and wear their border patrol and ambush squads down at the moment, Konoha had to be ready for them to attack elsewhere. If the fight went on too long, they wouldn't be able to defend everything.

_The Daimyo won't like that at all. Troublesome. _

But there wasn't a lot they could do about it. Since they were as of yet unable to pin down the exact location of the Akatsuki's base of operations, and their efforts to identify their information network hadn't borne fruit yet, they were stuck playing the waiting game until they either pinned down the location or the enemy attacked. The most logical thing to do would be to withdraw all of their forces back to Konoha and make the enemy come to them. But that would be a hard sell. The enemy could try to draw them out by attacking a civilian target, or by some other means, and that would not go over well with the Daimyo. Shikamaru sighed to himself before he began contemplating how best to argue that course of action. It was going to be troublesome.

* * *

The road to Kusa brought back a lot of memories for Naruto. It had been a long time since Sakura's defeat of the puppet master Sasori, and the subsequent mission to capture his spy in Oorochimaru's ranks. The blonde haired teen shifted the oversized scroll hanging over his shoulder as he and Sakura moved through the trees toward their destination as quickly as possible. The two of them, along with Sai and Captain Yamato, had done their best for that mission, but despite everything, they had still failed.  
Naruto shivered as he thought about that mission. The whole fight with Orochimaru was nothing but a blank to him. At most, he remembered some flashes of anger and hatred and an intense desire to wreak havoc on his enemy.

Naruto shook his head. He had been thinking about that mission the entire two days they had been traveling toward the remains of the base, and it made the time with Sakura kind of awkward. As the young man glance sideways at his pink haired teammate, a familiar sense of self loathing threatened to overwhelm him. He still carried a large amount of guilt over the fact he had injured her that day. If Yamato hadn't been there, it could have been much, much worse. Naruto dreaded to think what might have happened if the fox's power hadn't been suppressed. And Naruto had taken Yamato's advice to heart. He refused to rely on the Kyuubi for power. He would stand on his own strength to protect everyone, not just from their enemies but from himself as well. His Sage training had provided exactly what he was looking for, and he had run with that.

Thankfully, since the seal had been restored, the bastard trapped inside him had been silent. His anger didn't allow the fox's chakra to seep into him as easily. The flood of power he had experienced at the hospital that day had been the first time since the day of the invasion and it had caught him unaware. He hadn't realized it was happening until Hinata and Tsunade had forced him to calm down and that reminded him of the first time he had subconsciously called on the fox's power. He grimaced as he thought about that. He didn't like that feeling at all.

"Something wrong, Naruto?"

Naruto started slightly at Sakura's voice, snapped out of his reverie. Shaking his head, Naruto gave Sakura a tight smile as she examined him curiously.

"Just thinking about the first time we came out here. We were so sure we would get Sasuke back."

Sakura's expression fell as she thought about their teammate. Part of her still felt something for the Uchiha. He had been her first crush, and that had turned into something else as they worked and trained together, something more. After Itachi had been killed, they had both hoped Sasuke would return. But he hadn't, and as things got progressively worse, they had both gradually been forced to accept that he would never be able to return to Konoha.

That realization hurt Sakura deeply. But she still had hope that he would turn away from the path he was walking. Naruto never gave up hope, but something had seemed to change in him, and it wasn't until she had walked into Ayame's hospital room a while back that the reason had fully hit her. He had always seemed so focused on finding and helping Sasuke. Even after the news that he had fought and killed Danzo, he still held out some hope that he would at least give up on his misguided desire for revenge if he could find him. But that had gradually changed.

Sakura, being Tsunade's student, spent a lot of time working at the hospital to keep her abilities sharp, so it wasn't strange for her to be checking in on the young girl. She had walked into the room, and been a bit taken aback by what she had seen.

Naruto and Hinata had been sitting side by side next to the girl's bed. Hinata was asleep, the Hyuuga's head resting against Naruto's shoulder. But one other thing caught the pink haired girl's attention. Hinata's right hand was intertwined with Naruto's left, and the usually hyperactive shinobi was simply sitting there holding the girl's hand. He turned bright red when he realized she was watching him, but made no effort to disengage himself from Hinata or make any excuses. That told Sakura more than any words could.

Sakura was happy for him. She had suspected he was starting to realize what was going on ever since the day she had first met Ayame. But seeing him decide he returned her affections left his teammate with mixed feelings. Naruto had always had a thing for her. Through a lot of the academy, he had constantly pestered her for dates, much to her chagrin.

She did feel guilty about how she had treated him back then. In hindsight, she had been a complete bitch to Naruto, choosing to beat and harangue him over it rather than being a bit gentler about it. But then, Naruto had been an oblivious idiot back then and eventually as things with their teammate had gone over a cliff, he had given up. He still cared about her, that much was certain. But she doubted he looked at her the same way he used to. There were too many painful memories and events between them for that. And as much as it hurt her to admit it, she could understand that. So seeing him look at Hinata the way she could only wish Sasuke had at her was painful, but at the same time it made her happy for her team mate. The young woman shook her head and returned her focus to the present. A mission was not the time to be worrying about this kind of thing.

"Things will be different next time we find him, Naruto. Even if we have to beat it into his head to get him to stop what he's doing, we will. But we should get moving so we can catch whoever is in the base by surprise."

Naruto nodded and the two picked up the pace. They had been traveling for some time now, and had to be getting close to the rendezvous point. As they were moving, a sudden shift in the wind pulled Naruto up short. Sakura stopped behind him, her expression curious as she quietly spoke to him.

"What's up, Naruto? "

The blond teen turned his head slightly before whispering to her, his expression suddenly serious.

"I smell blood."

Sakura's eyes widens slightly at this, but nodded as Naruto motioned to begin moving slowly through the trees toward the meeting place. Something felt off to both of them, and they needed to be cautious. Dropping to the forest floor, the two began moving forward. The stench of blood continued to grow stronger as they grew closer to their destination. Both Naruto and Sakura came to a halt when the clearing was in view, neither making a sound as they took in the sight before them.

The team they were meeting was dead, spread over the field as if they had been fighting something. The ground was torn up in several areas. Whatever had done this was strong. The sound of a snapping branch caused the two of them to freeze as something stepped out of the trees across the field. The person, or whatever it was, stood there for a few moments, its head lifted up in the air, almost as if it were smelling for something.

_It almost looks like one of the Old Man's summons. Only…ugly. Really ugly._

Before he could examine it more closely, the thing's head snapped to the side and it looked straight at where the pair of them was hiding. The two shinobi quickly exchanged "Oh Shit" looks, before feral howls of rage echoed through the trees as the thing charged across the clearing at them. Sakura and Naruto immediately dodged in opposite directions, Naruto drawing the thing's attention with a few hastily thrown kunai before moving to put a bit of space between him and the attacker.

Dodging backward through the trees, Naruto got a clearer look at his attacker, and was shocked for a moment when he did. It was bipedal, and looked mostly human. Two arms, two legs, the same basic setup as your normal human being. But the arms were much longer than normal, and heavily muscled, its skin an unhealthy dark grey color, its eyes shining in an almost animalistic rage. The face was flattened, its enlarged teeth protruding from its mouth. But most unnerving was the way it was moving as it chased him, using its elongated arms to swing its body forward.

Naruto swore as the thing suddenly rocketed toward him, dodging aside just in time to see Sakura behind it with her arm extended forward.

"Damn it, Sakura! Watch it; you nearly slammed that thing right into me!"

Their attacker slammed to a halt nearby, before slowly getting back up on two legs and howling in rage at them. Naruto scowled at the thing, and with a hand sign created 10 shadow clones that circled around it and began harrying it. _What the hell is this? The feeling of power radiating it feels really familiar…_

"Is that what I think it is, Naruto? It feels just like-"

"I don't know, but let's worry about it later. We need to take it down first."

Almost as if a signal had been given, all of the Naruto's present dog piled the thing, obscuring its form underneath a pile of black and orange. The pile was motionless for a few seconds before the clones were thrown upward, the creature standing upright as clones were dispelled in clouds of smoke around them. It thrashed around for a few seconds, bellowing as he destroyed clone after clone, before its vocalizations were cut short.

Using the distraction of the clones, the real Naruto used the opportunity to circle around to the side of the creature opposite Sakura, and as soon as it broke free from the dog pile, the pair of them made their move. Naruto with a Rasengan in one hand, and Sakura with her fist cocked back, rocketed toward their target. Both slammed their attacks home, Naruto's Rasengan digging its way into the thing's back in a shower of gore, while Sakura's enhanced punch slammed into its chest. Caught by surprise, the thing let out a long, screeching cry of pain and anger before falling to the ground between them, dead.

"What the hell is this thing, Naruto?"

Naruto shook his head, a serious expression on his face as the two of them watched the thing slowly begin to transform, until lying on the ground between them was an apparently normal human, albeit missing a large portion of his back and with his chest stove in. Sakura stared; her eyes wide before her gaze shot up and met Naruto's.

"Is that?"

"Yeah, looks like it. But what the hell is someone with Orochimaru's curse seal on him doing here?"  
Sakura shook her head as she bent down to examine the form between them. Forming a few hand signs, she activated a diagnostic technique and began waving her hand over the body, while Naruto looked on.  
"He wasn't acting right. You saw the way he was attacking us, it was more like a rabid animal than a person. What's going on?"

"I don't know, Sakura, but I've got a feeling whoever is in the base knows we're here now."

* * *

Yay another chapter complete. Thanks to Gman391 and Bookworm702 for their continued excellent beta work. Yes, it has been sometime since I last posted a chapter. Sorry about that. But as most of you are familiar with, RL takes precedence over anything else, and a lack of motivation made that a bit worse. I do want to thank everyone who has posted a review, and/or added this story to their alerts/favorites. Reviews are awesome, and help me get my butt going and writing more. So please, let me know if there is something you liked, something that caught your eye, or something that confused you, and I will most likely answer your questions to the best of my ability (So long as there are no spoilers in said answer :P) Writing is a new hobby for me, and all the encouragement is great! Anyway, keep the reviews coming, and I will see you next time!


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